Dramatic arrest at Holiday Inn in NJ after unstable suspect stabs random victim

🚨 Suspect stabbed a man before leading police on a chase

🚨 The pursuit ended in the parking lot of a South Brunswick hotel

MONTGOMERY — An unhinged North Carolina man is charged with stabbing a man in an apparent random attack.

Brian Pyke, 65, of Calabash, North Carolina, went to a residence on Willow Run Lane around 1:30 p.m. June 16 and stabbed a 69-year-old man in the shoulder and abdomen, Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald said.

According to the affidavit filed by investigators, Pyke was under the impression that the victim had harmed his family. Officials and witnesses, however, said the suspect was unwell and targeted a random victim in the neighborhood where his family lives.

Witnesses said Pyke expressed the hope that the man would die and watched as he bled after being stabbed.

The victim was hospitalized and underwent surgery but is expected to survive.

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Three town police pursuit

After the attack, McDonald said Pyke left in a red SUV. After a Montgomery officer spotted the vehicle, Pyke refused to obey an order to stop and led police on a pursuit through Montgomery, Princeton and South Brunswick.

New Jersey 101.5 has learned that the pursuit ended in South Brunswick at the Holiday Inn hotel on Route 1, where he crashed into a police vehicle. He was arrested in the hotel lobby. RLS Metro Breaking News was first to report on the arrest.

Pyke, who remains in jail awaiting a detention hearing next week, faces charges including aggravated assault, eluding law enforcement, and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes. Prosecutors are expected to file an attempted murder charge.

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