PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A 2-year-old girl was left in critical condition and her mother was wounded Wednesday afternoon after both were stabbed on a South Providence sidewalk, police said, in an attack that left an empty stroller overturned amid bloodstains as bystanders and officers converged on the scene.
Providence police responded around 1:20 p.m. to the area of Broad and Public streets, where officers found a woman in her late 20s and her toddler daughter suffering stab wounds to their upper bodies and faces, Police Chief Oscar Perez said. Both were rushed to the hospital. The child was reported in critical condition at Hasbro Children’s Hospital as officers dealt with the suspect, according to Providence police Capt. David Lapatin and the Providence Journal.
Video circulating from the scene shows the immediate aftermath on the sidewalk: blood on the pavement, personal items scattered nearby, and a stroller tipped on its side near a fence as residents and police moved through the area. The footage also includes images of a man being escorted by officers.
Nelson Blanco, 46, was taken into custody near the scene shortly after the attack, police said. Chief Perez stated there was no evidence at the time that the suspect knew the victims. Blanco faces two counts of assault with intent to commit murder—one involving the adult victim and one involving the 2-year-old, along with assault with a deadly weapon, breaking and entering a dwelling occupied by a person over 60, possession of a knife during the commission of a crime of violence, and possession of a knife with a blade longer than three inches, according to the Providence Police Department. He was expected to be arraigned Thursday morning in Providence District Court.
Investigators said Blanco was previously arrested in 2003 for stabbing two 7-year-old boys who were playing in their yard in Providence. Local reports noted he has been charged with several other crimes in the years since. An update shared online by the account that first widely circulated the scene video stated he had been ruled incompetent to stand trial in connection with the 2003 case.
Mayor Brett Smiley called the attack a “senseless act of violence” against a mother and her daughter. “I’m praying for the child’s full recovery and my thoughts are with both victims and their loved ones,” Smiley said in a statement. “No child or family should have to experience such violence. I am grateful to our first responders and Providence Police officers for their swift response.”
Chief Perez described the incident as unfortunate and said the department would pursue accountability. “My heart goes out to the mother, I believe it is a mother and a daughter,” he said. “We’re going to do what we have to do to make sure this violent crime is held accountable.”
The Providence Police Department scheduled a press conference for 9 a.m. Thursday to provide additional details. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not released further information on the mother’s condition or a possible motive. The case has drawn attention online because of the ages of the victims and the suspect’s prior arrest involving children more than two decades earlier.
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