Arrest Made After Man Stabbed on Trail While Hiking in Palm Springs

A suspect was arrested in connection with the stabbing of a hiker on New Year’s Eve in Palm Springs, Calif.

The stabbing occurred at 11:30 a.m. local time on Dec. 31, 2025, when the victim, who remains unidentified, was hiking on the CV Link trail between Golf Club Drive and Cathedral Canyon Drive, KTLA and Desert Sun report.

Jacob Masters, a resident of Palm Springs, was booked at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility and charged with attempted murder and resisting an officer on Sunday, Jan. 11, according to Palm Springs Police.

The victim, whom Palm Springs Police identified as an adult man, “reported that he made eye contact with a man on the trail as they passed,” PSPD wrote in a statement shared on social media. The victim prepared to leave the area 15 minutes later, and the suspect, now identified as Masters, 53, was still in the area. Masters then “reportedly put on a ski mask, approached while yelling profanities, and assaulted the victim, knocking him to the ground,” PSPD wrote.

The victim fought back in what police currently believe to be an “unprovoked” attack, and the suspect then fled on foot. Following the violent altercation, the victim learned he had been stabbed, and was promptly treated for his injuries at a local hospital and later released.

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On Sunday, authorities located Masters on the 5600 block of E. Ramon Road.

“When officers attempted to detain him, Masters fled but was ultimately apprehended near the CV Link trail in the area of the Cimarron Golf Course,” the statement from PSPD continued, adding that Masters “did not demand property, and the motive remains under investigation.”

PEOPLE has reached out to the Palm Springs Police Department for comment.