Student stabbed at party on Locust

College junior Gregory Jones was stabbed while at an open-door party at 4036 Locust St. at approximately 2:43 a.m. yesterday.

The student was in a fight with at least two men when he was stabbed multiple times in the back. He was transported to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was stabilized.

"It's pretty serious. He is in critical but stable condition at HUP," Vice President of Public Safety Maureen Rush said. "His family have been notified, and they are en route to his bedside."

College senior Robyn Bald, a friend of Jones' who lives in the house where the stabbing occurred, said the group -- made up of five males each 19 or 20 years of age -- was causing trouble indoors.

"We had caught them [spraying graffiti in] our house. Greg asked them politely to leave," she said.

The men refused, leading to a physical confrontation. Bald immediately called the police. Jones was stabbed soon after Bald made the call.

"The kid got a knife out and stabbed him four times," Bald said. "There was blood all over the place."

Bald said the men immediately fled after Jones was stabbed. She and some others ran outside to see where the group was going.

"They split into two, I think," Bald said. "Two went towards Pine [Street]; we think the others went toward Walnut" Street.

When police arrived on the scene, they questioned Bald and other witnesses. Their descriptions of the group and its activities enabled the police to apprehend some of the suspects.

"Due to good information, police were able to stop two males," Rush said. "They were able to apprehend [them] on the 39th block of Pine."

The witnesses were brought to the scene of the arrest and positively identified the suspects. Bald said that one of them was the man who stabbed Jones.

The investigation is ongoing, but Rush did say that there is no known relation between this incident and any other.

As neither of the men has been arraigned yet, their identities are not available. Rush said police were unsure if the men who eluded capture assaulted Jones.

"Three other males were with these two, [but] it's not clear if they had any other altercation" with the student, Rush said.

None of the offenders are affiliated with the University. Rush said they are not even from the area.

Bald said she was quite shaken up by such a violent crime happening in her own home. She has already decided never to have an open-door party again.

"It's something you'd never expect to happen, especially when you open your house up," she said. "It's not that far-fetched -- we need to realize we're in a city and not untouchable. It's a horrifying wake-up call."

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