NYC mom and kids threatened by knife-wielding man while buying tickets for Central Park Carousel

The New York Post reports that 30-year-old Damien Greene-Ayala of Queens was successfully arrested and charged with menacing, criminal possession of a weapon, and endangering the welfare of a child. The incident comes as crime has risen 27 percent under the leadership of NYC Mayor Eric Adams.

The incident occurred at 2pm as Greene-Ayala approached the 27-year-old mom and her two boys, ages 6 and 9, while they were heading to buy carousel tickets.

The carousel is located slightly south of E. 65th St and is a major attraction for families and tourists.

According to the New York Daily News, a witness visiting from Washington, 24-year-old Mireya Gomez, said the man was in line near the kid when he started yelling.

"He started being very rude to them, so the little kids backed off and waited for him to finish purchasing his ticket," Gomez said. The children's mother was not in line with them at the time.

Gomez claims she confronted and said, "I said to the guy, 'Don’t talk to these kids like that.' He said, 'I’m gay and I don’t raise kids who don’t belong in this world.'"

The cashier saw the exchange and encouraged the kids to find their mother, who was nearby and they pointed to her.

Greene-Ayala saw the mother and then started saying "women are piece of sh*t."

Gomez claims a man was there who she thought was the kids father and after he intervened, that's when Greene-Ayala pulled the knife.

Gomez said, "Everyone and all the witnesses just backed off because it’s not worth it. He started swinging the knife back and forth, threatening everybody."

After police arrived the knife weilding terrorized said he was the victim due to being gay.

"He started going insane while he’s in the police officer's car. He was screaming, kicking and still insulting me. I heard him yelling and I’m just smiling and he said, 'Go ahead b*tch, keep smiling. I’ll see you in court,'" Gomez added.