A Suffolk County police officer is recovering after being stabbed while attempting to arrest a suspect during an early morning incident in Amity Harbor. The encounter, which was captured on the officer’s body-worn camera, unfolded just after midnight on Gibbs Road.

The footage shows the moments after the officer was allegedly slashed in the face and stabbed in the groin by a suspect identified as 22-year-old Steven Vazquez. In the video, another officer can be seen swiftly applying a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, a move that may have saved the officer’s life.

“When you think about how close that knife came to the femoral artery, it’s clear how narrowly we avoided a tragedy,” said Suffolk PBA President Lou Civello.

Despite his injuries, the wounded officer was able to walk to a patrol car and was rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital. He was released Tuesday morning but is expected to face a long road to recovery. His name has not been released.

According to police, Vazquez had been attempting to steal items from parked cars when officers confronted him. A second individual, 19-year-old Marcello Martinez, was also arrested at the scene, though authorities say he did not participate in the attack.

“This incident is a stark reminder of the danger our officers face every day,” said Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina. “They’re out there in the middle of the night trying to keep our communities safe.”

Vazquez is now facing multiple charges including assault, criminal possession of a weapon, and grand larceny. He is expected to be arraigned in court on Wednesday.