Man wanted in stabbing at New York’s MoMA arrested in Philly

PHILADELPHIA — A man suspected of stabbing two workers at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and making threats regarding former President Donald Trump was arrested at a Philadelphia bus terminal early Tuesday after setting his hotel room on fire, police said.

Gary Cabana, 60, had been sought by police since Saturday. Police found him sleeping on a bench and he was arrested without incident. New York City police said they would seek to have him extradited but did not provide a specific time frame for when that might happen.

Speaking Tuesday at a news conference, New York City Police Department Chief of Detectives James Essig said that in addition to assault charges related to the museum stabbings, Cabana is charged with a prior unrelated assault and aggravated harassment for sending threats by email.

New York City police said Cabana leaped over a reception desk and stabbed two employees inside the Museum of Modern Art after he was denied entrance because his membership had been revoked.

The workers, a man and woman, both aged 24, were stabbed multiple times but suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Authorities have not released more details surrounding what police said were threats about Trump.

Cabana was a fugitive for several days, trading messages with reporters on social media while he was on the run. He claimed he was living with mental illness and that the museum had revoked his membership unfairly.

Officers in Philadelphia went looking for Cabana after responding to a small fire at 6 p.m. Monday at a Best Western hotel. Sprinklers extinguished the blaze, which a fire marshal determined had been deliberately set.

It was not clear when Cabana would be arraigned in court or when a lawyer might be appointed who could speak on his behalf.

MoMA, founded in 1929, is one of New York City’s top tourist attractions, drawing more than 700,000 visitors in 2020. Its collection of modern art includes “The Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh and works by Henri Matisse and Paul Gauguin.

Cabana’s membership was revoked for two separate incidents of disorderly behavior at the museum in recent days, police said. A letter informing him of the action had been sent Friday, but he showed up at the museum Saturday to see a film.

“He became upset about not being allowed entrance, and then jumped over the reception desk and proceeded to attack and stab two employees of the museum multiple times,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence & Counterterrorism John Miller said at a news conference Saturday.

The museum evacuated patrons after the attack and remained closed while Cabana was at large. It reopened Tuesday.

“We’re relieved and grateful that our colleagues are recovering, and the attacker was arrested,” the museum said in a statement Tuesday morning.