Police: Dating App Hookup Ends in Stabbing by Hudson Valley Man

A Hudson Valley man has been charged with Attempted Murder and Assault after police say he stabbed a person he had just met up with through a dating app, collapsing their lung and permanently blinding them in one eye.

According to the police in Middletown, New York, officers responded to a noise complaint at an apartment complex on Underhill Road on Sunday evening just after 7pm. While en route, a second call was made to report a fight with people yelling at each other at the same location.

When police arrived on the scene, they heard a commotion in one of the apartments and discovered two people inside who appeared to be involved in an altercation. Officers say they found one of the two subjects bleeding from multiple stab wounds.

Middletown, NY Dating App Meetup Ends in Violence

After administering life-saving medical assistance to the person bleeding, they were rushed to Garnet Health Medical Center. Police were then left to piece together the events leading up to the alleged attack.

Authorities say the two people involved in the altercation were strangers who had met up at the apartment after connecting on an online dating app. The unidentified stabbing victim had traveled all the way from Nassau County to visit a Middletown man identified as Reggie Florence.

Police say the 28-year-old pulled out a knife while interacting with the victim, stabbing them multiple times in the face, neck, back and abdomen. The investigation revealed that the victim attempted to fight back. While struggling to gain control of the knife, Florence was also stabbed.

The victim was in such bad shape that they were transferred to Westchester Medical Center for emergency surgery and trauma care. They were left with a collapsed lung and stab wounds on their face that are expected to result in the loss of their right eye. Florence was treated for his injuries and released from the hospital.

Middletown, NY Man Facing Felony Charges

Police have charged Reggie Florence with Murder in the Second Degree and Assault in the First Degree, both felony charges. The Middletown man was taken into custody and is waiting arraignment.