Woman Tried To Stop Cherry Hill Stabbing Suspect Who Collapsed Man's Lung: Court Docs

CHERRY HILL, NJ — A Cherry Hill man accused of attempted murder repeatedly stabbed a victim in the torso, even while a woman grabbed the suspect's shirt to try to stop him, according to court documents Patch obtained.

Pietro Cancello, 29, assaulted a man and woman with a folding knife early Saturday at their shared home, critically injuring the man, authorities said. Cancello was charged with first-degree attempted murder and several counts of aggravated assault and weapons offenses.

The criminal complaint outlining Cancello's charges sheds new light about the incident.

Police responded to the incident just before 3 a.m. Saturday, when the female victim called 911 to report a domestic disturbance at the home on the 100 block of Valleybrook Road. Cancello lives there with the victims, who are both 58, but authorities have not shared any other details about his relationship to them.

Cancello had been acting erratically before the stabbing, according to the affidavit into his arrest. Early Saturday, he wanted to get chewing tobacco out of one of the victim's vehicles and requested the keys. The woman said she would walk with Cancello to the car to get the tobacco, which angered him, the affidavit says.

The suspect jumped into a bed and attacked the male victim, authorities said. The woman told police she tried to stop Cancello as he raised his arm in a stabbing motion.

Cancello continued to follow and stab the man as he fled outside, the affidavit says. The woman tried to hold Cancello back by pulling his shirt, but she could not stop him. She was cut across her wrist during the incident, officials said.

At the scene, officers found the male victim suffering from multiple stab wounds as he stood to the rear of a BMW parked in the street. Cancello was standing in front of the car, the affidavit says.

The man suffered a punctured and collapsed lung, multiple puncture wounds to the diaphragm and a lacerated spleen, authorities said. He underwent emergency surgery at Cooper Hospital Trauma Center in Camden.

The woman was treated at the same hospital and has been released. Her injuries weren't life-threatening, officials said.

Cancello was charged with the following:

• attempted murder (first-degree)
• aggravated assault (second-degree)
• aggravated assault on a victim of domestic violence (third-degree)
• aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (third-degree)
• possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose (third-degree)
• unlawful possession of a weapon (fourth-degree)
• reckless aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (fourth-degree)

Cancello was arrested and brought to a hospital for evaluation. He was then placed in the Camden County Correctional Facility, where he will remain jailed, pending the results of a future detention hearing.

There is no threat to the public, officials said.

Online court records didn't list an attorney for Cancello on Tuesday.