Police now believe that the brutal stabbing of a Queens teenager on her way home from work may be linked to a feud she had with a local gangbanger, police sources said.
Natasha Martinez, 17, was walking home after finishing a shift at McDonald’s when her attacker approached from behind and knifed her 11 times at around 11:30 p.m. Monday, just steps from the teen’s Woodhaven home, cops said.
Miraculously, Martinez survived the attack and is currently in stable condition at a Queens hospital, officials said.
Martinez apparently told investigators that she did not know who tried to kill her, leading authorities to believe that the attack may have been unprovoked, sources said.
But police are now investigating whether a dispute she may have had with a possible gang member may have led up to the stabbing, sources said.
“She apparently forgot to tell investigators about a fight she had a week or two before the attack,” said a police source. “They’re checking to see if there is link there.”
The source did not specify what the nature of the dispute was, but said that police are looking into it.
Police believe Martinez’s attacker followed her from the McDonald’s or a local bodega where she stopped after work, authorities said.