PICTURED: Times Square ‘jihadist’, 19, who stabbed a rookie NYPD cop with a machete on New Year’s Eve

The suspected Islamic extremist accused of slashing two NYPD officers with a machete near Times Square as investigators were ready to ring in the New Year is 19-year-old Trevor Bickford, a 19-year-old from Maine , whom his mother called ‘old soul.’

A smiling Bickford is featured in many of his mother’s social media posts, including one in which she visits him in Seattle, where he moved from Wells, Maine, just two months before the New Year’s Eve attack.

Bickford, who was armed with a machete, allegedly slashed two officers on 8th Avenue near Times Square, Commissioner Keechant Sewell said.

Another officer shot Bickford in the shoulder and he was taken to Bellevue Hospital along with the two officers. They are all expected to survive.

The attack happened just after 10 p.m. about eight blocks from Times Square, just outside the maximum security zone where thousands of revelers were being screened for guns as they prepared to ring 2023.

Trevor Bickford, 19, of Wells, Maine, allegedly approached a group of NYPD officers near Times Square on New Year’s Eve and cut down two of the officers with a machete

Trevor Bickford can be seen with his mother in a post she shared on Facebook, gushing about her son’s move to Seattle just two months ago

The suspect swung the machete at a group of police officers stationed just outside the Times Square perimeter and slashed one open, reports NBC New York

Both officers were hit in the head, including the rookie cop who suffered a fractured skull and an 8-year veteran who suffered a laceration to the head.

At a recent news conference, Mayor Eric Adams said he spoke to one of the wounded officers as he was being stitched up at the hospital.

“He was in a good mood,” Adams said. “He understood that his role today saved the lives of New Yorkers.”

One of the injured, Paul, who just graduated from the academy on Friday, is originally assigned to a Staten Island precinct but was moved to Manhattan for the New Year’s Eve celebrations, the New York Post reports.

The attack was “unprovoked,” Adams said at the overnight press conference. Both Sewell and Adams emphasized that there was no “active threat” to the community. The celebrations continued undisturbed.

The brawl happened just outside the security zone in Times Square, where thousands gathered for the annual New Year’s Eve Ball Drop. Police checked revelers for contraband such as alcohol, large bags and weapons.

A police source told the Post, “No backpacks or umbrellas in Times Square. You forgot to mention machetes.”

Workers at a halal stand near the scene told the New York Daily News they heard what they believed to be explosions or gunshots.

“I just heard the noises – bang! Bang!’ Prodip Bisws explained. “People ran, oh my god, they ran.”

Bickford is pictured with his family, along with his brother who is in the US Army

Another officer shot the suspect, hitting him in the shoulder. All of the injured were taken to Bellevue Hospital, where they are in serious but stable condition, officials said

Crime scene video shows revelers being herded out of the scene by cops trying to patrol the scene at 52nd Street and 8th Avenue. Officers can be seen yelling at pedestrians to move away from the scene.

A witness told the newspaper: “They removed the barricades very quickly. He was a police officer in front of the barricade area, moving it to allow police cars to move quickly – and then the barricade fell and was hit by the car. He was beaten twice.’

An investigation was underway to determine a motive for the attack, but authorities said they did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the public.

Michael Driscoll, deputy director of the FBI’s New York field office, said they believe the attacker acted alone.

Authorities have told NBC New York that they are investigating whether the suspect had previously posted so-called jihadist writings online and then may have traveled to New York City to attack police.

The NYPD conducts a massive security operation every year to protect the New Year’s Eve crowds. Thousands of officers are stationed in the region, including many new recruits to the force.

The blocks where the largest crowds gather to watch performances and the Midnight Ball can only be reached via checkpoints where officers use metal detectors to search for weapons. ‘

Large bags and cool boxes are prohibited. Barriers are erected to prevent vehicle attacks in the secured area.

However, the security perimeter can only reach so far. The attack took place on 8th Avenue, which is often filled with dense crowds navigating the frozen zone or trying to find one of the safe entrances.