The Jewish man who was stabbed in the chest in New York City this week is now speaking out, saying, "I believe in standing up to bullies" and that the suspect was threatening violence against Jews.
Elias Rosner, 35, was police told Fox News Digital in a statement.
Footage of the incident circulating on social media shows the two men squaring off in a minutes-long dispute. The would-be victim followed the suspect after their confrontation initially broke off, at which point the suspect allegedly turned and stabbed at the victim.
"So, he was waiting. He set a trap up for me a block ahead. He came around the corner and it just started happening," Rosner told the New York Post.
"So, he brandishes his knife … I’ve been standing all day, and between fight, freeze and flight. I really only had to choose between freeze and fight, and I chose to fight," he continued.
"I believe in standing up to bullies," Rosner told the New York Post. "I knew it was on. I luckily had taken off my sweater to use as a sarong to catch the blade. I could just tell he wasn’t going to be doing anything fancy…."
"I was able to catch most of the force of the blade with the sweater and that’s basically what saved my life," he added.