Filipino director and actor Ricky Rivero is now safe and recovering in a hospital after being stabbed 17 times by a guy named Hans Ivan Ruiz, who Rivero met on the social networking site Facebook.

According to the reports, Rivero and Ruiz started their friendship on Facebook 5 months ago. The two has been meeting at Rivero’s home in Quezon City since then.

On the early hours of Monday morning, Hans Ivan Ruiz stabbed Rivero while he was sleeping. However, the victim was able to escape and asked help from neighbors. Meanwhile, Ruiz escaped with the director’s laptop in tow among other things. Police authorities were able to catch Ruiz when he “came back [to Rivero’s apartment] to clean the crime scene”.

Ruiz purportedly stabbed Rivero after the latter refused to give him money, according to the report from TV news channels.

Hans Ivan is now in police custody for frustrated murder and robbery.