CaliToday (14/12/2025): A festive family trip to New York City’s most iconic department store turned into a harrowing fight for survival this week, when a mother changing her infant’s diaper was brutally ambushed inside a restroom at Macy’s Herald Square.
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| The Macy's storefront is decorated for Christmas as people make their way through Herald Square on December 11, 2025 in New York City. |
The victim, who authorities have revealed is a trained member of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, managed to overpower her attacker despite suffering multiple stab wounds—an act of quick thinking that likely saved both her life and that of her 10-month-old child.
The Attack
The incident occurred on the afternoon of December 11, in the heart of the holiday shopping season. According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, the 43-year-old victim was in a women’s restroom at the flagship department store, her back turned as she tended to her baby on a changing table.
Prosecutors allege that Kerri Aherne, 43, of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, entered the bathroom and launched an unprovoked attack, stabbing the mother repeatedly in the back and left arm.
In the ensuing chaos, the 10-month-old baby fell from the changing table to the hard floor. The infant suffered swelling to the forehead and redness but miraculously escaped critical injury.
The Wrong Victim to Target
While the attack was sudden, the suspect reportedly picked the wrong target. The victim, visiting from California with her family, is an employee of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), as is her significant other.
Despite bleeding from two stab wounds in her back and a cut to her arm, the mother relied on her training. Prosecutors say she managed to physically subdue Aherne, pinning the attacker down until Macy’s security guards rushed in to assist. NYPD officers arrived shortly after to take Aherne into custody.
The victim was transported to a local hospital in stable condition, where she received stitches for her wounds.
"Kill or Be Killed"
The motive behind the violence appears to be rooted in a severe mental health crisis. Following her arrest, Aherne reportedly made a chilling admission to officials, claiming she was hearing voices telling her she "had to kill someone or be killed."
Aherne, who has no prior criminal record in New York, has a troubling history in her home state of Massachusetts. In 2018, she was arrested after allegedly posting threats on Facebook regarding U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and threatening to commit a shooting at a police station.
Perhaps most concerning for investigators is Aherne's recent medical history. She told officials she had recently been released from the state-run Manhattan Psychiatric Center after arriving in New York earlier in 2024. The closeness in timing between her release and the violent outburst raises serious questions about the oversight of patients with violent ideations.
Justice and Aftermath
On the evening of December 12, Aherne was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court. She pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder, second-degree assault, and endangering the welfare of a child.
Given the severity of the attack and the randomness of the violence, the judge ordered Aherne to be held without bail at the Rikers Island jail complex. She currently has no attorney listed in court records.
As the victim recovers and prepares to return to California, New Yorkers are left shaken by a violent breach of safety in one of the city's most heavily trafficked tourist destinations during the height of the Christmas season.
Aherne is scheduled to appear in court again on December 17.