NEW YORK — Police have ramped up patrols in the Morningside Park area in the aftermath of two stabbings that took place Thursday night, one of which killed a 30-year-old Columbia University graduate student. 

Throughout the day and into the night on Saturday, NY1 cameras spotted several NYPD patrol vehicles making the rounds both inside and around the perimeter of the park near Columbia University in Manhattan. 

What You Need To Know

  • NYPD and Columbia University enacted heightened security measures after two people were stabbed in separate incidents Thursday night near Morningside Park

  • Columbia University graduate student Davide Giri died of his injuries

  • The NYPD said the increased security will stay in place until there is a need to scale it back

The heightened effort by police to patrol the area provided a sense of comfort to some people. Among them were twin brothers Johnny and Jimmy Fogle, who have lived close to the park for more than 60 years.

“I been seeing patrol cars in the park,” Jimmy Fogle said. "And it makes you feel safer, yes it does.”

“I should be able to come into this park every time and feel safe, at 12 o’clock at night, at 1 o’clock in the morning, and feel safe, not have to worry about being attacked by somebody,” Johnny Fogle added. 

Vincent Pinkney, 25, of Harlem, has been charged with one count of second-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault, one count of first-degree attempted assault and one count of second-degree attempted murder in connection with the stabbings, a complaint filed with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office shows. Pinkney's attorney on Sunday declined to comment on his arrest. 

Davide Giri, a computer science PhD candidate, died from his wounds. He was remembered Friday at a vigil on the Columbia University campus.

Police said Giri was found stabbed outside the park near West 123rd Street and Amsterdam Avenue. A second person was stabbed near West 110th Street and Columbus Avenue that same night. Columbia University on Saturday identified that person as Roberto Malaspina, who "had just arrived from Italy to begin several months as a Visiting Scholar."

Eliana Mera has lived in the area for 27 years. For safety reasons, she only walks in the park during the day. Yet she hopes the sight of more officers on foot and in vehicles becomes permanent, especially in certain areas that make her nervous.

“On the upper level of the park, there’s just more trees, and it’s a little more isolated, so it would be nice to have more of that over there," Mera said. 

The stabbings Thursday took place just a few days shy of the two-year anniversary of the death of Tessa Majors, an 18-year-old Barnard College student who was attacked and stabbed multiple times in Morningside Park.

To help this rattled community feel safer, the NYPD said it is increasing patrols in the area until there is a need to scale back.

In the meantime, Columbia University has announced plans to enhance its security measures through foot patrols along Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, along with the use of patrol vehicles around Morningside Drive and Morningside Park.