New York City nurse killed in street-side stabbing during alleged scooter-mugging

A New York City woman was fatally stabbed by two men riding a scooter after her husband pulled over on the side of a dark road so he could relieve himself, authorities said Wednesday night. The couple was in a car on a dinner outing when the husband, 44, stopped along a rural stretch to urinate in nearby bushes. While he was away, two men on a scooter approached the vehicle and demanded money. The woman, Anthonella Contreras Linarez, 30, of the Bronx, refused to hand over anything, and one attacker jumped off the moped and repeatedly stabbed her across the face, neck and torso. The husband heard the assault and rushed back to help, but he was slashed on the arm as the attackers fled. He drove to a hospital in New Rochelle, where Contreras Linarez later died of her injuries.

Contreras Linarez was a registered nurse at Mount Sinai Morningside, according to hospital staff and related profiles. Family posts indicate she studied at Manhattanville University and graduated last year. She had been dining with a friend when the attack occurred, and emergency crews transported the couple to medical facilities in the aftermath.

The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been announced by the New York Police Department. Investigators were examining whether the husband provided a false account to police; a local outlet, PIX11, reported he was in custody for interrogation, a claim not confirmed by the NYPD.

Park Drive, described as a dark road near the scene, is where the couple had stopped, according to police description and the image accompanying police releases. The NYPD has not released further details about suspects or motive.

The death comes amid a broader context of violent crime in the United States. It comes less than a month after Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zartuska, 23, was fatally stabbed while riding a light rail home from work in Charlotte, North Carolina. Authorities allege that Decarlos Brown, 34, was responsible for that stabbing; while the cases share similar injuries, officials have not established a connection between the two incidents.

Police say the investigation remains active and ongoing, with witnesses sought and no arrests publicly announced at this time.