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The Harlem McDonald’s worker brutally stabbed by a knife-wielding customer has been hailed a “hero” after he tried to ward off his attacker with nothing but a plastic cleaning pole, his boss told The Post on Friday.
A severely injured Angel Miguel Salazar, 31, is now recovering in hospital after being stabbed in the face, back and arm during Wednesday’s frenzied attack at the fast-food joint.
The Bronx resident, who had to be placed in a medically induced coma after the bloodied attack, was ambushed by the irate customer while trying to shield his two female coworkers, store manager Jennifer Bisla Rodriguez said.
“He is a hero because not everybody would do that. Not everybody would see their fellow co-workers in danger and step up,” Rodriguez told The Post.
Salazar’s younger sister, Miguelina Salazar, said her traumatized brother didn’t want to speak to a reporter about the attack because he believed he did what any man would.
“He told me, ‘No, no, I am not a hero. I did what I had to do. I defended my co-workers. Any man, in that situation, a real man, would do that.’ He is very friendly and humble,” Miguelina told The Post.
Salazar was back in the kitchen preparing food when the bearded suspect walked into the restaurant at about 12:40 a.m. and immediately went berserk after being told to order at a kiosk instead of the counter, his boss said.
He ran out front after hearing the suspect tell the female shift manager and another employee that he was armed with a knife, Rodriguez said.
“He heard and ran to the sink area and got a plastic pole used to clean the grills. He ran to the front where the angry customer was,” Rodriguez said.
“That’s where the fight started. [The suspect] pulled out his knife and started stabbing him multiple times.”
She added, “It was a terrible attack. It was a bloody attack. Everybody was afraid. They were crying … They were traumatized.”
Salazar lost consciousness at the scene before being rushed to a Harlem Hospital, where he underwent hours-long surgery.
He was brought out of his induced coma later on Wednesday but still doesn’t have full use of his left hand, his boss said.
“I’m surprised he put his life in danger, knowing that the guy had a knife. I would have thought twice. But I am not surprised because he cares about the people around him,” Rodriguez said.
Salazar’s attacker, who cops said was between 5-foot-11 and 6 feet tall and last seen wearing a dark green jacket and ski mask, took off immediately after the attack.
As of Friday morning, no arrests have been made.
The Mickey D’s stabbing happen about a block away from the Burger King, where 19-year-old worker Krystal Bayron-Nieves was shot and killed by an alleged robber in January.
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