David Muir has anchored ABC World News Tonight since 2014, when he took over from Diane Sawyer. Other networks have been shuffling their news programs with new anchors. An ABC anchor recently had to step in for David Muir to cover “terrible” news. Viewers were in tears over the situation. Keep reading to find out what’s going on.
ABC Anchor Steps In For David Muir
The news these days is full of depressing stories after depressing stories. Some viewers just want to tune out. Imagine how the anchors feel! Longtime ABC anchor David Muir was absent on Friday, December 12, when a horrible story broke. A tourist visiting New York City from California was stabbed in a store’s bathroom while changing her 10-month-old daughter’s diaper.
The incident happened at Macy’s in Herald Square, Manhattan, New York, during the busy holiday shopping season. The unnamed victim, 38, was changing her daughter’s diaper when a woman stabbed her in the back and arm in an unprovoked attack. The victim’s husband was able to subdue the suspect and hold them until the police arrived. The baby wasn’t injured in the attack.
David Muir takes weekends off. Whit Johnson, who has been with ABC since 2018, had to deliver the terrible news to viewers.
Fans In Tears Over ‘Terrible’ News
ABC posted a clip of the news segment on Instagram. Viewers quickly took to the comments to react in horror to the unprovoked violent attack. Several viewers said they were left in tears over the “terrible” news.
- “We need more family restrooms, a mother or father shouldn’t have to worry about being able to change their child in peace. So sad”
- “The world is f**ked up!”
- “What is going on here in NYC”
- “This is crazy”
- “What is WRONG with people???”
- “It’s NOT safe ANYWHERE these days!! Pure evil is lurking to attack you when you least expect it!!”
More Details About Perpetrator
The stabbing incident happened on Thursday, December 11, at around 3 PM. Kerri Aherne, 43, was arrested at the scene of the crime and is being held without bail. According to ABC 7, the suspect was under arrest in 2018 for posting online threats to kill Senator Elizabeth Warren.
When asked why she stabbed the victim, the suspect had a chilling response. She told the police that the voices in her head told her to kill someone, so she bought a knife and headed to Macy’s.
“The attacker was a homeless woman who was recently released from a mental hospital. She bought the knife at Macy’s and used it in the attack. Seems like the hospital that released her bears some responsibility,” one person wrote on social media after the attack.
David Muir returns to ABC Nightly News on Monday. He may share updates on the case. It’s still under investigation. The suspect is due back in court on December 17.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger