Woman Accused of Stabbing Tourist in N.Y.C. Macy’s Bathroom Had Been Released from Psych Hospital Hours Before Attack

A woman accused of stabbing a tourist inside Macy’s flagship store in New York City has a documented history of psychiatric treatment, prosecutors said in court.

Kerri Aherne, 43, appeared in court on Friday, Dec. 12, where a judge ordered that she be held without bail, according to WABC, Fox News and the New York Post.

During the arraignment, prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said Aherne had been released that morning from a Manhattan psychiatric ward following an approximately year-long stay, and later entered the Macy’s Herald Square store. Prosecutors alleged she bought a knife inside the store and then searched for someone to kill, claiming she was responding to voices telling her she needed to kill someone or she would be killed, the New York Post reported.

Authorities say the alleged attack happened in a seventh-floor bathroom. Prosecutors said Aherne stabbed a 39-year-old woman from California while the victim was changing her baby, WABC reported. Police said the infant fell from the changing table but was not injured.

The New York Police Department said officers responded to the store on Dec. 11 at about 3:15 p.m. after a report of an assault. Police said the victim sustained multiple stab wounds to her back and a laceration to her left arm. She was taken to a hospital and later discharged on Friday. The victim’s husband told the New York Post that she was “better” after the incident.

Police said Aherne was charged with attempted murder, two counts of assault, criminal possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child.

Prosecutors said a criminal complaint indicates Aherne told police she had previously been hospitalized for psychiatric issues, according to WABC and Fox News. Prosecutors also said she was arrested in Massachusetts in 2018 after allegedly posting on Facebook that she wanted to kill Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the outlets reported.

The New York Post reported that in 2019 she was deemed an incapacitated person, with her mother and sister appointed as guardians. The outlet also reported she was placed on a court-ordered treatment plan that included taking medication used to treat schizophrenia.

According to a bail application cited by the outlets, Aherne left Massachusetts in an Uber in the summer of 2024 while on temporary hospital leave and allegedly said she could no longer tolerate hospitals and would rather be in prison.

In court, she echoed similar sentiments, saying, according to the New York Post, “I don’t want to go to another hospital. They didn’t help me at Manhattan Psychiatric Center.”

Aherne’s next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 17.