魅影直播

Watch CBS News

2 cyclists injured after running into kite string on NYC bridge

Man hospitalized, woman injured after running into kite string on NYC bridge
Man hospitalized, woman injured after running into kite string on NYC bridge 01:47

Two New Yorkers are recovering from a run-in with a sharp object they couldn't even see until it was too late — a kite string.

"There was just so much blood"

Jennifer Noble was entering the Marine Parkway Bridge on her bike over the weekend when she saw a kite floating in the air and suddenly ran into something she couldn't see.

"It hit my upper lip and my nose, and then it cut through my forehead," she said.

The string also cut through the muscle of Noble's index finger and cut her helmet's temple strap. She says the force knocked her over backwards.

Jennifer Noble
Jennifer Noble says she was cut by a kite string as she was cycling on the Marine Parkway Bridge in June 2025. CBS News New York

"And then I just hear screaming behind me. And it hit my friend who was behind me in the throat and cut his throat open," Noble said.

Noble said good Samaritans sprang into action, bandaged her finger and applied pressure to her friend's neck.

"It looked like a movie. Like it looked fake. There was just so much blood," Noble said.

"It tore through me"

Her friend, Robert Hillebrand, remains hospitalized. Noble said the entrepreneur has a long road ahead.

"He's not able to work. He's going to have a lot of medical bills," she said.

A man lays in a hospital bed with equipment attached to his neck and mouth.
Jennifer Noble says Robert Hillebrand's throat was cut by a kite string as they were cycling on the Marine Parkway Bridge in June 2025. Photo provided

Noble said she's still in pain five days after the incident and has since returned to the emergency room for excessive pain in her finger.

"Looks like there are bone fragments in the joint, which is why I'm having so much pain now," she said.

She has an appointment to see a specialist on Monday.

Noble believes the string was attached to a so-called "fight kite," where the string is a very sharp, abrasive line sometimes coated with crushed glass.

"It just seems really horrifically, dangerously negligent to have this stuff out there in the world," Noble said. "It tore through me."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.