A teenage boy was stabbed in the face with a knife as he walked through a park with his girlfriend.
Kieran Day, 15, was walking home through Waterhead Park in Oldham with his girlfriend when he was grabbed by two men in an apparently random attack.
They kicked and punched him in front of a terrified family until strangers intervened and 'saved his life'.
Police are investigating and the family has urged authorities to "give people some reassurance" through increased police presence and CCTV in areas with high levels of criminal activity.
They also questioned "how can we prevent kids from going and picking up a knife in the first place".
Kieran said: "I was screaming for my life. I'd never thought anything like this would ever happen to me - it's left me feeling scared to leave my house.
"I'm confused about why this has happened to me.
"I no longer want to go out with my friends and seeing what this is doing to my parents, I also feel depressed and full of anxiety.
"I owe my life to the [people] that stepped in and saved me - if it wasn't for them I have no doubt I would be dead now."
Kieran was attacked around 5.30pm on May 21 when he heard people running up behind him.
Two men grabbed Kieran and one struck him in the face - with what he later realised was a knife.
Kieran stumbled back and was knocked to the ground, where the strangers continued to kick and punch him and hit him with the blade, his father said.
Kieran’s dad, Rob, believes the attack was an “attempt on his life” and said it was a miracle that strangers intervened and managed to scare the attackers away.
A stranger intervened with a relative when she saw the incident begin to unfold metres away.
She said: “Kieran tried to run but the lads chased him and that’s when we saw one of them had what looked like a blade.
“I was holding my little boy at the time. I have young children and they all witnessed it - it was a horrific attack.”
She ran over and managed to scare the two attackers away.
They took Kieran back to their house where they struggled to stop the blood pouring from his face.
She said: “He called his mum but was in such shock he struggled to tell her what was going on.
"So I explained what had happened, and when she heard she just started crying and screaming. I told her he needed to get to the hospital because there was just so much blood.”
The witness said one of the attackers fled, while her relative chased the other one away.
Rob and Kieran’s mum, Sophie Lever, collected Kieran and took him to the hospital where he was treated for a fractured eye socket.
“They’re having to wait for the swelling to go down and they will then need to perform constructive surgery," said Rob.
"He’s received four stitches to his face and no longer wants to go out - he just stays in his room which is unlike him."
Rob does not believe the men were trying to rob him as Kieran held out his phone which they did not attempt to take.
Police are currently investigating but have not made any arrests.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “At around 5.45pm on Tuesday 21 May, officers responded to reports of an assault at a park on Longfield Crescent, Oldham.
“It is believed that two males attacked a young male, before running away from the area.”
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