Coney Island’s roller-coaster comeback attempt hit a bump yesterday when a teen was stabbed outside its flashy new hot spot, Luna Park.
Joshua Perez, 17, of Manhattan, was knifed near the West 10th Street end of the fabled boardwalk — only steps away from the highly hyped park’s entrance — after a dispute with another teen, police said.
Packs of families with young children watched in horror as Joshua fell to the boardwalk, clenching his side, after being stabbed in the right side of the torso, eyewitnesses said.
“I saw [him] stagger in off the boardwalk and fall down, and a crowd grew around him,” said a park security guard. “Mothers were holding their kids back, and they all looked shocked and concerned.”
Cops arrested Christopher Acosta, 17, of Manhattan, and charged him in the assault. He left the boardwalk in handcuffs, crying out, “I didn’t stab him!”
Luna Park, which features 19 new rides by renowned Italian designer Zamperla, opened Saturday to rave reviews on the site of the old Astroland Park and features its own trained security staff.
A park spokesman emphasized that the stabbing occurred outside the park and added that “there was no trouble over the weekend” inside, despite large crowds.
Patrons went on more than 40,000 rides at the park Saturday and Sunday — “far exceeding our projections for opening weekend,” said Alberto Zamperla, its operator.
Luna Park is already an overnight cash cow for other boardwalk businesses.
Each of the 10 businesses The Post polled yesterday said that their profits for the Memorial Day weekend were through the roof compared to the same period last year. The average bump was roughly 30 to 40 percent.
“This was an incredible weekend for us,” said Carol Hill Albert, who operates the landmark Cyclone roller coaster next door.
She said her profits were up at least 40 percent.
“If this is the impact of the park, it’s a home run-plus. We haven’t had crowds like this in years,” she said.
Additional reporting by Juan Gonzalez and Jamie Schram