Man charged with assault at Dominican Day parade

A Manhattan man was charged with assault Wednesday for allegedly slashing an elderly man in the face during the raucous Dominican Day parade in Midtown in August.

Joshua Cantero, 20, was walking near the corner of West 45th Street and 8th Avenue around 3:35 p.m. on August 11 when he decided to jump on cars parked along the street, according to a statement from the Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, emerges .

His victim, an unidentified 65-year-old man, was sitting in his vehicle waiting for his wife to get off work when Cantero jumped on the car and began jumping up and down, Bragg said.

The man got out and told Cantero to get out – and that’s when Cantero allegedly pulled out a knife and lunged at him, authorities said.

The victim tried to back away when Cantero swung wildly, hitting him in the face and causing a bloody wound, Bragg said.

He climbed back into his car, but Cantero allegedly tried to stab him again and again – catching him in the hand again as the victim tried to protect himself.

Police arrested Cantero about 15 minutes later on West 45th Street, Bragg said.

Cantero was charged with attempted first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault and a weapons count.

Meanwhile, his victim was taken to the hospital where doctors treated the wound on his face and stitched his hands and fingers.

“Assaults on older adults are reprehensible and those who commit these violent acts in Manhattan will be held accountable,” Bragg said. “I hope the victim continues to heal from this attack.”

The beating was the capstone of a hectic event that ended early when a huge, unruly crowd stormed the parade’s midtown route, law enforcement sources said at the time.

The 42-year-old parade, which draws half a million spectators, was scheduled to continue along Sixth Avenue to West 59th Street, the entrance to Central Park.

But the crowd grew increasingly boisterous — especially as several rappers rode through on floats — and spectators began jumping over the barricades on 46th Street.

The NYPD worked to restore order, rebuilding the barricades, holding the floats in place and making an arrest, sources said.

They then rerouted the parade from Sixth Avenue to 52nd Street and canceled the rest of the parade.

“We’re closing it,” a police source told The Post. “At this point it’s gotten out of control.”