Coworker Charged With Attempted Murder After Attack During Ride Home
Upstate NY Woman Brutally Attacked While Giving Co-Worker a Ride Home, Suspect Charged
A Saratoga Springs woman is facing a long road to recovery after police say a co-worker attacked her with a knife while she was giving him a ride home. The victim managed to escape the moving vehicle and get help from nearby bystanders.
According to the Saratoga Springs Police Department, the incident happened Friday, October 9, around 8:13 p.m. Emergency crews responded to a report of a vehicle that had crashed into Augie’s To-Go at the intersection of Lake Avenue and Forest Avenue.
First responders discovered the driver had a serious neck laceration that did not appear to be related to the crash. Police identified the passenger as 36-year-old David Cruz Torres of Michoacán, Mexico, who allegedly attempted to flee the scene before officers detained him.
Investigators determined that Cruz Torres and the victim worked together in Saratoga Springs. Police say he asked her for a ride home after their shift, then physically attacked her inside the vehicle before slashing her throat with a knife. The motive remains unclear.
Despite suffering life-threatening injuries, the woman managed to escape the moving vehicle and call for help. Nearby community members rushed to assist her and provided police with critical information.
The victim, identified through a GoFundMe fundraiser as Olivia Neri, was initially taken to Saratoga Hospital before being airlifted to Albany Medical Center for emergency treatment.
According to the fundraiser organized by a family friend, Neri suffered damage to her left carotid artery, an injury to her trachea and a severe cut to her ear. She underwent emergency surgery and faces a lengthy recovery that has affected her ability to work and attend college.
The fundraiser, titled Support Olivia Neri’s Healing, is intended to help cover medical expenses, follow-up care, therapy and lost income for the college student. As of the latest information provided, it had raised more than $39,000 toward its $90,000 goal.
Cruz Torres was charged with attempted murder in the second degree, a Class B felony, and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, a Class A misdemeanor. He was in court for his initial appearance and arraignment October 13. He is et scheduled to appear on October 19.
