The victim had just returned home shortly before 1 p.m. and was seated in his Maserati when another man approached, opened the passenger-side door and stabbed him in the chest, said Maj. Todd Patalano.

First responders applied pressure to the wound at the scene and rushed the man to the hospital, Patalano said. "They immediately tried to put pressure on it, get rescue to the scene to transport them to Rhode Island Hospital as soon as possible," he said.

Police described the attack as targeted rather than random, and said investigators believe the two men were at least somewhat familiar with each other. Patalano characterized the assault as a "heinous crime" driven by what he called deep hatred.

"It's someone who's very angry who does this," he said.

The suspect fled the area after the stabbing. As of Friday evening, no arrests had been made, but police said they were pursuing active leads and expressed confidence in the investigation. Patalano said the priority was to get the assailant off the streets before anyone else could be hurt.

The stabbing occurred in a residential neighborhood along Park Avenue, a busy corridor in Cranston. Police did not release the victim's name or a detailed description of the suspect. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Cranston Police Department.