NIAGARA FALLS —
A Town of Niagara teen has been charged in connection with a stabbing that triggered a melee on 85th Street early Saturday morning.
Falls detectives charged Josh Czamara, 19, 1717 Blanchard Ave., with second-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon in an attack on another 19-year-old man at what police called an alcohol-fueled party.
Witnesses told police they saw Czamara and the victim engaged in a fight, but weren’t sure what sparked the brawl. Czamara then reportedly pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim in the chest several times.
The unidentified victim then “jumped into a truck,” driven by Marc W. Porter, 19, 3014 Monroe Ave., and was taken from the scene. As Porter apparently tried to rush the victim to a hospital, he lost control of his truck in the 1000 block of 85th Street and slammed into a utility pole, knocking it down, then careened into a parked car, another truck and a boat on a trailer.
Another witness then picked the victim up and drove to the 700 block of Builders Way. There, the victim was met by police and rushed by ambulance to the Erie County Medical Center.
Detectives said the victim suffered non-life threatening injuries.
Czamara was picked up a short time later back near the party scene in the 1100 block of 85th Street.
The party and crash caused a commotion that rocked the normally quiet residential neighborhood. Residents said their neighborhood looked like a war zone.
After Porter’s truck crashed, neighbors said between 30 and 50 young people — believed to have been at the late-night party nearby — descended on the crash scene. Residents said the drunken teens were unruly and yelling profanity and threats of violence.
“It was so angry and so scary, the neighbors were not coming out of their houses,” said one local homeowner who witnessed the fracas but did not wish to be identified.
Police were initially called to the neighborhood to investigate the accident and a “large fight.”
The homeowner, who contacted the Gazette, said neighbors first became aware of what was happening when Porter’s pickup hit the utility pole.
“I thought at first that it was a large clap of thunder when I awoke,” the homeowner said. “Then, I realized later that it was his (truck) hitting a telephone pole.”
The owner of the property where the crash occurred said the automobile, truck and boat that were parked in his yard all sustained extensive damage. The crash also caused damage to the walls of the home.
Police arrested Porter and charged him with driving while intoxicated, speeding and failure to keep right.
Local News
Related Photos
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Police and fire personnel respond to an accident on 85th Street. Larry Kensinger
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Police and fire personnel respond to an accident on 85th Street. Larry Kensinger
Arrest made in Saturday night stabbing incident
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