A shocking incident unfolded at Macy’s flagship store in New York City when a California mother was allegedly attacked by a woman with a troubling past. Kerri Aherne, 43, is at the center of this alarming event, accused of stabbing a 38-year-old tourist from the West Coast while she was in the store’s bathroom with her 10-month-old child.

Aherne’s history reveals a pattern of erratic behavior, including a chilling death threat made against Senator Elizabeth Warren. Her social media activity paints a picture of instability, featuring a series of disjointed posts that also reference Donald Trump.

In 2018, Aherne’s online presence took a concerning turn. She posted about feeling “a little insane” alongside an image of Michael Jackson, hinting at her mental state. Just the day before, she had expressed gratitude towards a doctor for their assistance, suggesting she was receiving some form of help.

That same tumultuous year, her threatening posts aimed at Senator Warren led to her arrest in Massachusetts, her home state. This incident adds a troubling layer to the recent attack at Macy’s, highlighting an ongoing struggle with mental health issues and a history of alarming behavior.

That same year she was arrested in her native Massachusetts for posts online in which she threatened Warren’s life. 

She also claimed she was planning on ‘getting a gun’ to shoot someone at a ‘local police station.’

Her account also regularly criticized Trump. Its most recent post said that the US was a ‘dumbass pathetic country.’

Prosecutors said Aherne went to the Macy’s bathroom on the seventh floor and stabbed the woman, causing the baby to drop from the changing table to the floor. 

Kerri Aherne, 43, is accused of stabbing a West Coast tourist, 38, inside the bathroom of the store on Thursday

Aherne had been released from Manhattan Psychiatric Center on the morning of the day she carried out the attack at the Midtown store

The baby was not injured, but the woman was repeatedly stabbed in her back, shoulder and arm, The New York Post reported. She was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.

Aherne had been released from Manhattan Psychiatric Center on the morning of the day she carried out the attack. She had just spent a year at the psychiatric center.

‘She had purchased a knife at Macy’s and looked for someone to kill because voices in her head told her that she had to kill someone or else she would be killed,’ Paul Barker, the Manhattan Assistant District Attorney, said in court Friday night.

Aherne was arrested and charged with attempted murder, endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of assault and the criminal possession of a weapon.

The attack only stopped when the victim, whose identity has not been disclosed, managed to subdue Aherne with the help of her baby’s father.

The victim is a civilian employee with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, where her partner serves as a deputy.

Officials said Aherne was believed to be homeless and had never been arrested in New York before. 

When she had previously been in hospital she had allegedly said she could no longer stand the medical facilities and would rather be in prison.

Aherne was arrested and charged with attempted murder, endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of assault and the criminal possession of a weapon

In 2018 she was arrested in her native Massachusetts for posts online in which she threatened Warren’s life

It was not immediately clear exactly why or when Aherne had been admitted into the Manhattan Psychiatric Center. 

A public social media profile indicated she had previously lived in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, about 25 miles north of Boston – and had attended Salem State College.

Aherne had been declared an incapacitated person in 2019, per court records cited by the Post.

Her mother and sister were appointed as her guardians. A court also directed Aherne to remain on Prolixin, an antipsychotic medication for schizophrenia, records said.

On Friday, Aherne was ordered to be held without bail – which she protested.

‘I don’t want to go to another hospital,’ she told the court, adding that her Manhattan psychiatric stay had not helped.