NEWARK — Two young children and a 23-year-old woman were killed after a man entered a home and stabbed six people, authorities said Saturday.

Among the slain were an 8-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy.

Also injured in the attack, which happened about 3:55 p.m. Saturday at a Hedden Terrace residence in the city's South Ward, were a 13-year-old boy, a 13-year-old girl and a 29-year-old woman who all remain hospitalized in "stable" condition.

The man wanted for questioning in the stabbings — Jeremy Arrington, 26 — remains at large. He already was wanted on other sexual assault and aggravated assault charges from October, prosecutors said.

His arrest record includes busts for dozens of weapon and violent offenses going back to 2008 in Essex County alone. His last criminal conviction was in 2011, when he was sentenced to five years in prison with three years of parole ineligibility for second-degree illegal gun possession. In that case, he initially had also been charged with violently resisting arrest.

Prosecutors on Saturday did not say that Arrington was a suspect but Mayor Ras Baraka said he should be considered dangerous.

"We cannot harbor this individual, we cannot hide this individual, we cannot wait for him to turn himself in. We have to get him immediately before he hurts someone else," Baraka said at a Saturday night news conference.

"As long as he is on the street none of us are safe."

Investigators said Arrington knew someone in the home, but their relationships were not immediately clear. A motive for the attack was not known.

The Essex County Sheriff's Office is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of a suspect. The county's tip line, which accepts anonymous messages, is 800-847-7432.

Authorities initially reported seven people had been stabbed overall, but they later said there were six victims. The names of those killed and details on the injuries suffered by the other victims weren't being disclosed until next of kin were notified.

Essex County's major crimes task force and city police are investigating the stabbings. Investigators blocked off the street where the stabbings occurred, and several nearby residents gathered to watch as the investigation unfolded.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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