As the search continued on Sunday for a relative accused of stabbing a 4-year-old girl multiple times at her home in New Jersey, the child’s father shared that she is fighting for her life. The attack has left him “dumbfounded.”
The young girl remains in stable condition at Saint Joseph’s University Medical Center, where she is being treated for puncture wounds to her lung and liver, as well as an injured diaphragm, according to her family.
“She couldn’t respond because she had tubes and everything down her, but she opened her eyes. When she heard my voice, she started making eye contact, trying to see me. That brought joy to me that she was responsive,” the girl’s father, Faherem LaSane, told media.
LaSane identified his daughter as Amber, describing her as a happy girl with a big smile and a hearty appetite.
The stabbing occurred just after 4 p.m. on Friday in Paterson, New Jersey, according to the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office. Officers responded to a domestic dispute call and discovered the child with multiple stab wounds, prosecutors said.
Police have not yet identified the suspect, but Paterson council member Luis Velez told media that authorities are searching for the child’s aunt in connection with the incident.
Relatives said that Amber was being babysat by her aunt while her mother was at home caring for another child.
Neighbor Keema James recounted seeing the mother emerge from the home, holding the child, both covered in blood.
“She had a big gash on her forehead, and she had her wrapped up,” James told WABC in an interview.
LaSane expressed his shock upon learning about the stabbing, immediately rushing to the hospital to be by his daughter’s side.
“I was totally dumbfounded, and I was shocked because I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to believe it at all,” LaSane said.
The motive for the stabbing remains under investigation.
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The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office has asked anyone with information about the incident to contact their office.
