A man from the Bronx, Rakeem Young, is recovering in the hospital after a serious attack. On January 24, while walking his dog Chanel, Young was confronted by another man holding a machete. The incident occurred around 11:20 a.m. near Southern Boulevard and East 178th Street.
According to Young, the man threatened to harm his dog, stating that he would “chop her head off.” In an attempt to protect Chanel, Young raised his hand, but the assailant swung the machete, resulting in Young losing four fingers. “I just remember lifting my hand saying, ‘No! No!’” he explained. After the attacker struck him, Chanel defended her owner by lunging at the man.
After the attack, Young ran off in shock, only realizing the severity of his injuries when he looked down at his hand. The loss was hard to grasp; “I couldn’t believe it,” he said, adding that the shock of the moment numbed the pain.
In the days following the attack, emergency responders managed to recover three of Young’s fingers. He underwent a long surgery lasting 13 hours to repair his hand. Doctors had to reassign the positions of some of his fingers since his ring finger could not be found.
Rakeem’s mother, Kimtreese Young, noted that people were still searching for the missing finger days after the attack. Young is facing more medical procedures to restore blood flow to his reattached fingers. His family has set up a fundraising page to help cover medical costs.
Rakeem’s family expressed their concern for his safety, as the attacker remains at large. “This man is still on the loose. How are you not able to find this person?” asked his aunt, Tashemia Young. Authorities are urging anyone with information about the assailant to contact the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline.
While Rakeem continues his recovery, he has shared that protecting Chanel was worth the risk. “If I hadn’t saved my dog, it would have tormented me for the rest of my life,” he stated, reflecting on the traumatic experience.
