Man terrorizes family with knife near NYC Central Park's carousel 

A man terrorized a family with a knife on Sunday afternoon near the carousel in New York City’s Central Park, authorities reported. 

The suspect, identified as Damien Greene-Ayala, 30, pulled the blade on two boys aged 9 and 6, and their parents while they were trying to buy tickets for the carousel at around 2 p.m. on Sunday. 

The man was allegedly waiting to get on the ride when he lost his temper with the two kids who were standing next to him, a witness told the Daily News.

“While he purchased his ticket, he’s yelling to the kids to go on about their day,” said Mireya Gomez. “He started being very rude to them, so the little kids backed off and waited for him to finish purchasing his ticket.” 

When the cashier noticed the man’s bizarre behavior, he told the kids to find their parents. The children’s father confronted the man, who then pulled out a pocket knife. 

“Everyone and all the witnesses just backed off because it’s not worth it,” Gomez said. “He started swinging the knife back and forth, threatening everybody.”

Greene-Ayala was taken into custody by police soon after. He was charged with engendering the welfare of a child, criminal possession of a weapon, and menacing, police said. 

Crime in New York City’s iconic park has increased by 27% compared to last year, driven by a spike in felony assault and robbery, according to data from the New York City Police Department.