Matthew, who posts as @matthewproblem on TikTok, says his boyfriend attacked him during a staged birthday surprise, leaving him with eleven stab wounds. He disarmed the attacker, escaped to the lobby, and was treated by a resident doctor before being rushed into surgery for a collapsed lung and internal injuries. The attacker later jumped from the balcony and did not survive. Matthew says he has no permanent injuries and expressed relief at surviving.
California Man Survives 11 Stab Wounds After Birthday “Surprise,” Says He’s ‘Happy to Be Alive’
(Featured Images: matthewproblem)
A California man who posts on TikTok as @matthewproblem says a planned birthday surprise by his boyfriend turned into a brutal attack that left him with eleven stab wounds. In a series of videos, Matthew recounted how an intimate moment escalated into a life-threatening confrontation and how he managed to escape and get emergency care.
Attack and Escape
Matthew says the relationship dated back to college, roughly 21 years earlier. A few days before his 21st birthday, his boyfriend asked if Matthew wanted to receive his present. He says he was told to lie face down on the bed with a pillow over his face as part of the surprise. After a short time, the boyfriend returned and—according to Matthew—jumped onto him and struck his chest three times.
"And then he jumped on top of me, punched me—what I thought was being punched—three times in the chest," Matthew recalled on TikTok.
When Matthew pushed back, he reportedly saw blood on the man’s arm and assumed at first it might be a prank. Matthew says the boyfriend then began shouting, "I'm poor! I'm poor! I'm poor!" and swung a knife toward him. Backing toward a 12th-floor window with nothing available to use as a weapon, Matthew says he was stabbed in the back as he tried to flee. He says he then grabbed both of his attacker’s hands, disarmed him, seized the knife and escaped the apartment.
Injuries, Treatment and Aftermath
Matthew reached the building lobby and told the front desk to call 911. A doctor who lived in the building provided immediate care before paramedics arrived. He was rushed into surgery and sustained a collapsed left lung and injuries to his spleen and diaphragm. Matthew says the man who attacked him later jumped from the apartment balcony and did not survive.
Warning Signs and Earlier Incidents
In his videos, Matthew described earlier worrying comments from his boyfriend. He alleged that months before the attack the partner made two disturbing suggestions about ways to end his life—once suggesting they could swerve off a cliff after a church visit, and another time saying he could drive into oncoming traffic. Matthew says he rejected both ideas. He also reported that his apartment caught fire for an unknown reason a week before the stabbing.
Recovery and Reaction
Matthew told viewers he survived without permanent injuries and expressed relief and gratitude. "So, that was the story of what happened in that day. Happy to be alive," he said in one clip. In follow-up posts he said he was proud to have made it through the ordeal.
Note: Details above are taken from Matthew’s account on TikTok. Some actions are described as alleged where appropriate.
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