Cellphone grab at Chiller Theatre led to security officer’s stabbing, police say
Morris County NJ Nov 5, 2022
An argument over a juvenile taking cellphone pictures in a hotel at the Chiller Theatre Expo in Morris County on Sunday triggered a chain of events that ended with a security officer stabbed and one man under arrest, according to police.
David C. Knestrick, 47, of Connecticut, is charged with second-degree aggravated assault and weapons offenses.
He was held Monday for a psychiatric evaluation at Saint Clare’s Denville Hospital, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
An argument over a juvenile taking cellphone pictures in a hotel at the Chiller Theatre Expo in Morris County on Sunday triggered a chain of events that ended with a security officer stabbed and one man under arrest, according to police.
Chiller Theatre is held twice a year at the Hilton Parsippany and features an array of celebrity guests signing autographs and posing for photos for fees.
Multiple witnesses told police that Knestrick – a Chiller Theatre visitor – became embroiled in an argument with other guests shortly about 12:15 p.m.
Knestrick removed a cellphone from a juvenile’s possession because (he) believed that the juvenile was taking unauthorized photos of the event,” the affidavit states.
When he took the phone, the juvenile’s father “got into an altercation” with Knestrick, which drew the attention of the security officer, the affidavit states.
The security officer confronted Knestrick, who stabbed him once in the abdomen with a 4-inch folding knife, according to the affidavit.
Knestrick was arrested by local police at the hotel. The security officer, who was seriously injured, required emergency surgery, the affidavit states. He’s expected to survive, police have said.
Police said the weapon was recovered and that investigators obtained written and recorded witness statements describing the stabbing.
The police quickly got there in big force, there were so many police cars it was unbelievable a patron said.
