Trenton-Police.JPG

File photo of Trenton Police SUV.

(Michael Mancuso )

TRENTON – A Trenton man slept soundly for about 10 hours with a knife stuck in the middle of his back Sunday before discovering he had been stabbed during a fistfight on his porch, police said today.

The 42-year-old victim awoke to a pain in his back, said Lt. Mark Kieffer, a police spokesman. The victim couldn’t tell what the problem was until he spoke to his brother.

“And his brother said he had a knife blade protruding from his back,” Kieffer said.

The stabbing happened on the 600 block of North Clinton Avenue around 2 a.m. Sunday. The victim had been drinking that night and stepped out onto his porch to have a cigarette.

While he smoked, another man approached the victim and asked for a light. The victim refused, and an argument ensued that escalated into a fistfight, police said.

As the victim gained the upper hand, his attacker suddenly ran away.

“He said, ‘I’m not chasing after the guy,’” Kieffer said of the stabbing victim.

A full description of the suspect was not available. Kieffer said the stabbing victim was “very uncooperative” with detectives who tried to talk with him at the hospital.

Police officers were called to the man’s home around noon Sunday and confirmed there was a five-inch knife blade stuck in the victim’s back, Kieffer said. The victim was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center to have the blade removed. The size and type of knife were not immediately available, police said.

The man is expected to survive his injuries and could be released from the hospital as soon as today, Kieffer said.

Anyone with information on the case should call police at (609) 989-4170, or the Confidential Tip Line at (609) 989-3663.

2 trchristie HINDASH.JPG

CONNECT WITH US: On mobile or desktop:

• Like Times of Trenton on Facebook

• Follow @TimesofTrenton on Twitter