College student, 18, stabbed to death in savage robbery in Manhattan park

An 18-year-old college student was stabbed to death on Wednesday afternoon in a New York City park, allegedly by a group of unidentified young men who mugged her then left her for dead. 

Tessa Majors, a freshman at Barnard College who was from Charlottesville, Virginia, was walking down a flight of steps into Morningside Park on West 116th Street on Wednesday when the young men approached her. 

According to police sources, they demanded money from her and stabbed her multiple times in the stomach before fleeing. 

She crawled to a nearby security guard booth but the guard was doing his rounds. 

No one has been arrested but police sources have revealed that a 16-year-old boy, who is a known robbery suspect, was taken into custody from a nearby housing project not long after the attack. They say a group of teens are also being questioned.

The 16-year-old was reportedly wearing a green jacket that was similar to one that a witness claimed one of Tessa’s attackers was wearing. There was also a trail of blood leading into his apartment which police sources described as a ‘hub of criminal activity’.  

Tessa Majors, 18, was stabbed to death in a Manhattan park on Wednesday night at 5.30pm 

Majors collapsed after seeking help at a Columbia University guard booth which was empty because the security guard was away doing his rounds

Majors collapsed after seeking help at a Columbia University guard booth which was empty because the security guard was away doing his rounds

Tessa is believed to have been entering the park at around 5.30pm when she was attacked.

The assailants are said to have demanded money from her then stabbed her multiple times in the stomach. 

She crawled for help to the booth of a Columbia University security guard but he was away doing his rounds. 

When he returned, he found her unconscious and called 911. 

After the stabbing, Majors (pictured) staggered to a nearby security guard booth for help but found it vacant

After the stabbing, Majors (pictured) staggered to a nearby security guard booth for help but found it vacant 

A second, unidentified 911 caller reported seeing someone wearing a green jacket at the scene who they thought could be a suspect. It is unclear what time they phoned the police. 

An NYPD spokesman refused to give details on Thursday morning when contacted buy DailyMail.com.  

Emergency services responded and found Majors’ uncharged cell phone lying next to her, along with a butterfly knife. 

It is not yet clear if that was the weapon used or if it belonged to her. 

No one has been formally charged but police are questioning a group of young men, according to ABC. 

Earlier in the day, NYPD officers said they encountered a 16-year-old known robbery suspect who was wearing a green jacket that was similar to the one described by the second 911 caller. 

When they went to a residence he is known to frequent in the nearby Grant Houses on Wednesday night, they found a trail of blood at the scene.  

He has not been named. 

Barnard College, where Majors was studying, issued a statement on Wednesday night confirming the girl’s death. 

Her parents are now on their way from Virginia to New York. 

‘I guess being from a smaller town she was too naive to think about walking alone in New York City.  

‘She just shouldn’t have been there,’ her grandmother, Martha Burton, told The New York Daily News.  

Students at the all-female college are now terrified. 

This is the entrance to the park where Tessa is believed to have been attacked shortly before 5.30pm

This is the entrance to the park where Tessa is believed to have been attacked shortly before 5.30pm

Police sources say a 16-year-old boy was taken into custody from the nearby Grant Houses. The teen is a known robbery suspect who was wearing a green jacket yesterday. A witness from the attack in the park reported to police that one of the assailants was also wearing a green jacket. No one has been arrested or charged

Police sources say a 16-year-old boy was taken into custody from the nearby Grant Houses. The teen is a known robbery suspect who was wearing a green jacket yesterday. A witness from the attack in the park reported to police that one of the assailants was also wearing a green jacket. No one has been arrested or charged

‘My friend is throwing up in the bathroom. She’s so scared,’ Isabel Jauregui, a 20-year-old student, told The New York Times on Wednesday night. 

They all learned about the deadly attack via campus news alerts. 

In a statement to students issued last night, Barnard College president Sian Leah Beilock said: ‘Tessa was just beginning her journey at Barnard and in life. 

‘We mourn this devastating murder of an extraordinary young woman and member of our community.

‘This is an unthinkable tragedy that has shaken us to our core.’

NYPD officer worked through the night on Wednesday to process the crime scene

NYPD officer worked through the night on Wednesday to process the crime scene 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk