A Carteret man was stabbed twice early Wednesday morning at the Menlo Park Mall.
EDISON -- Right after a sports bar closed at the Menlo Park Mall early Wednesday morning, a 23-year-old Carteret man was stabbed twice in the upper chest following a dispute in the mall parking lot with a group of men, according to the Edison Police Department.
The unidentified man was taken to a hospital and is listed in stable condition, said Edison police Lt. Sal Filannino.
The 23-year-old, who had been with a small group of friends, was walking back to his car at around 2:15 a.m. in the parking lot near the Fox & Hound sports bar, Filannino said. The sports bar had just closed, according to a statement from Edison police.
After starting his car, the 23-year-old walked away from the vehicle to say goodbye to his friends. When he turned around, however, a separate small group of men were standing near his running car.
"One group confronted the other group, and the victim got stabbed in the upper torso," Filannino said.
The 23-year-old and an unknown man exchanged words, at which point one of the men in the group "used a folding knife to stab ... (the 23-year-old) in the upper chest before leaving the parking lot in a vehicle," police said in the statement.
The 23-year-old was driven to JFK Medical Center in Edison by a friend. After he was treated, he was transferred to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, according to officials.
No one has been arrested at this time, according to Filannino.
Authorities are currently looking for a particular male suspect, but a description of the man was limited at this time. Witness descriptions of the vehicle that fled were also limited.
It is not known why the men were at the mall at that hour.
The incident remains under investigation, which is being led by Edison police Det. Ted Hamer.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Edison Police Department at (732) 248-7400.
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.