Australian teen stabbed inside Midtown McDonald's in unprovoked attack, police sources say

An Australian teen was stabbed repeatedly in an apparently largely unprovoked attack early Monday morning inside a McDonald's in New York City, police sources said. 

It happened at around 2 a.m. at the restaurant located on Eighth Avenue between 34th and 35th streets in Midtown. 

Police said they received a 911 call for an assault at the restaurant. When they arrived, they found the 19-year-old victim had been stabbed repeatedly in the torso.

He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.

Police arrested 25-year-old Juan Mercedes of Port Charlotte, Florida. He has been charged with assault in an unprovoked attack.

According to police sources, words were exchanged between the two men, who did not know each other, but the attack was largely unprovoked. It's unclear at this time what was said.

Some people who frequent the area said they're not surprised by the violence.

"There's always something going on in this area, especially in this McDonald's," resident Tony Wright said. "There's a security guard, though. I don't know if she was there when that incident happened."

CBS News New York reached out to the McDonald's but has not heard back.