Mom stabbed in NYC Macy’s bathroom while changing baby was going off ‘instinct’ in fighting off homeless attacker

The woman accused of stabbing a California mother while she changed her baby girl in a Macy’s Herald Square bathroom should face life in prison, the infant’s grandmother told The Post.

“That person should be in jail for the rest of her life,” the 10-month-old’s paternal grandmother said Saturday of Kerri Aherne, a Massachusetts native charged in the shocking attack.

“She should go to jail because what she did was not right,” the grandmother added. Authorities said the mother sustained stab wounds to her back, shoulder, and arm Thursday, but the baby was unharmed.

“The baby is fine. I’m happy nothing happened to her,” the grandmother said.

The victim fought back and subdued her attacker, acting on what a family friend described as “a mom’s instinct.”

“I’m not surprised she did that,” said Justine Silva, who knows the family. “She works out. She’s pretty fit,” Silva added, referring to the brave mother.

Kerri Aherne, the Macy's stabbing suspect, smiling while sitting at a table with an alcoholic drink. — A California mom, 38, was brutalized by a deranged attacker while changing her baby in the bathroom of Macy’s Herald Square. Obtained by NY Post

The family had planned to leave New York City the day after the attack but remain in the city with no set return date. The grandmother said the parents are expected in court Monday for criminal proceedings.

“It was a holiday thing,” Silva said, noting the couple had just welcomed their first child and were visiting New York for the first time since the baby was born.

Concern for the infant was immediate. “I was worried she might’ve been hurt,” Silva said, describing the baby as “really calm” and sweet. She called the attack particularly shocking because it happened to someone she knows personally.

A blue glove covering a faucet in a public bathroom with a baby changing station and a hand dryer. — The mom and her family were supposed to leave New York City the day after the attack but are now stuck in the Big Apple with no clear date of return, family friend Justine Silva told The Post. Desheania Andrews for Ny Post

The baby’s father, Silva added, was exhausted after the incident. “He probably was up all night, and it was stressful for him. That’s his only child. He is an amazing dad,” she said.

Authorities said Aherne had been released from a psychiatric facility the morning of the stabbing. She has been charged with attempted murder, assault, child endangerment, and weapons possession. Prosecutors said she purchased the knife inside Macy’s before allegedly targeting the mother.

Aherne reportedly told authorities she heard voices instructing her to kill. She has a documented history of mental illness.

Kerri Aherne, the alleged attacker, in court wearing a light blue mask covering her nose and mouth, a white sweatshirt, and her red hair parted on the side. — Kerri Aherne, the alleged attacker accused of stabbing a tourist inside a bathroom at Macy’s Herald Square, is arraigned at Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday, Dec. 12, in New York. James Keivom/Pool/ New York Post

After news of the stabbing spread, Aherne’s apparent Facebook page—where she had previously posted anti-Trump comments—was flooded with politically charged and hostile messages.

“Kerri Aherne, we hope everything in the world bad happens to you and only you,” one user wrote. Another added, “Your insanity caught up to you. If you hate America, you’ll love prison.”

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