Pals mourn man stabbed on Queens street
A quick trip to the ATM for some food money ended in bloodshed for a beloved Queens construction worker.
Nicolas Caicedo-Velasquez, 21, was nine blocks away from home when he stopped by the ATM to grab some cash before meeting up with friends Friday night.
A few minutes later, the Colombian immigrant rushed over to his pals, clutching his chest.
“Someone stabbed me,” he cried out, according to friend Daniela Trujillo.
The friends carried him to a nearby firehouse, where firefighters monitored the man until medics arrived and took him to Elmhurst Hospital Center.
Caicedo-Velasquez died at the hospital 21⁄2 hours later, friends said.
“He was such a nice guy … he was always smiling,” Trujillo told the Daily News as she fought back tears Saturday.
“He wanted to give everything he had to everyone, but somebody took it from him,” she said.
Caicedo-Velasquez was nearing the ATM on Northern Blvd. near 83rd St. in Flushing about 7:30 p.m. when, witnesses said, he exchanged words with a passing man.
As the conversation became heated, the suspect pulled out a knife and jammed it into the young man’s chest. It was not immediately clear if the victim knew his attacker.
Cell phone video taken by a witness at the scene shows a man wearing a gray T-shirt and black pants running from the scene.
Cops on Saturday released surveillance photos of a man dressed in a red polo shirt and a baseball cap, who sources say is a “person of interest” who may have information about the stabbing.
Trujillo and others claim the person of interest is a friend of Caicedo-Velasquez who tried to help the mortally wounded man.
Caicedo-Velasquez moved to the U.S. from Colombia two years ago and was staying with Trujillo and her daughter while working in construction.
Friends said he was an avid soccer fan who never went looking for trouble.
“He was literally in the wrong place, wrong time. He was a very chill guy, very unique guy, very funny guy,” said Katherin Martinez, 25, a teacher’s assistant.
“We came here trying to find something good for us,” said Trujillo. “I know my daughter, she loved him. I don’t know what to say to her.”