John Mach, a security guard for the Church of the Immaculate Conception in New York City’s East Village, wasn’t happy Sunday (Jan. 21) to see someone urinating outside the building. After an altercation, the culprit ran off. But when he later returned wearing a different jacket, the man snuck up and slashed Mach across the neck.
Mach, who received 16 stitches to close the gash, was back at work Monday. Speaking to reporters, the security guard said he’ll continue defending the church and its parishioners. “I’m not letting anyone in the parish get hurt,” he said. “I’d rather give my life.”
Security Worker John Mach: ‘My Duty Is To Guard My Church’
On Jan. 22, John Mach described what happened outside the Catholic church the previous afternoon and evening. The suspect, he said, was urinating between two cars parked outside the building and on the building itself. “I can’t let that happen,” said Mach, who indicated the man turned down his offer of borrowing the church bathroom keys.
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The guard described the suspect as someone “looking for a problem” and as someone “with a mental health problem.” He told reporters the man cursed and swung at him. “He threatened me, so I punched him,” said Mach. “I had to defend myself and the church.”
Although Mach’s shift ended at 3 p.m., he said he stayed at the church because the man had threatened two of his colleagues. When the alleged attacker returned two hours later in a different-colored coat, he surprised Mach and slashed him with a box cutter. “Out of nowhere, he came and sliced me while my back was turned helping a lady in a wheelchair down the ramp,” the guard said.
Despite bleeding from the wound, Mach said he chased the man for about a block. Mach tied his shirt around the gash to slow the blood flow. Some Good Samaritans reportedly hit the suspect as he fled but were unable to prevent his getaway.
Police are still looking for the suspect, who they say often hangs around the area pushing a shopping cart.
Church Security Guard: God Doesn’t Want Me in Heaven Just Yet
Police said John Mach was in critical condition initially, and Mach said the wound was “close to the arteries.” But heaven can wait, said the security guard, who’s in his 50s. “God doesn’t want me there so soon,” he said Monday. “So here I am.”
