Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York expressed gratitude toward people who “reacted very smartly” during “a really difficult moment” while reliving a Thursday attempted stabbing during a Friday press conference.

“I noticed he had a weapon in his hand and it had two holes where he had two fingers through the holes and had two sharp dagger-like edges on it and he was telling me, ‘you are done,’ and obviously in that point … this was not a normal situation and there needed to be action taken,” said Zeldin, who was campaigning for governor when the attack occurred.

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“When he lifted up his hand and he was lunging for my throat area, the first thought was to grab onto his wrist and just to hold it, because there were so many people around that I would expect there to be help quickly,” Zeldin continued. “And that’s what happened.”

David Jakubonis allegedly tried to stab Zeldin during a Thursday campaign event before he was restrained by attendees of the event. Jakubonis was released on his own recognizance after being charged with attempted assault, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Zeldin noted that his running mate, Alison Esposito, a former NYPD officer, was among those who intervened.

“There were a lot of people who reacted very smartly and I’m very proud of that response in what was a really difficult moment,” Zeldin said.