Wilkes-Barre Twp. police charged a Wilkes-Barre man in connection with a stabbing at a popular shopping plaza on Christmas Eve.

Jose J. Rivera II, 26, is charged with aggravated assault and related offenses after he allegedly stabbed someone at the Wilkes-Barre Township Commons shopping center Tuesday afternoon, township police said in a post to the department’s Facebook page.

According to police: Officers responded to a reported stabbing outside the Ross store in the shopping center shortly after 3 p.m. Responding officers found a victim with a severe facial laceration.

Rivera and the victim knew each other and had been involved in a verbal altercation prior to the stabbing, police said. There is no indication the stabbing was a random act.

Witnesses provided “critical information” about Rivera’s vehicle after he fled the scene, police said. With the assistance of Wilkes-Barre city police, officers located Rivera about 25 minutes later, along with his vehicle. He had changed clothes and attempted to leave his home in an Uber, but was taken into custody without incident, police said.

Police took Rivera to Luzerne County Correctional Facility for an overnight arraignment. The stabbing victim’s injuries, while severe, do not appear to be life-threatening, police said.

Originally Published: December 24, 2024 at 9:59 PM EST