The murder of a famous bodega worker on the Upper East Side late Friday(01-03-2023) night has police searching for a suspect. The police think the same thief may be responsible for a second-store robbery.
Video surveillance footage inside the Bronx eatery Yaya Deli and Grill reveals a man wearing a white hazmat suit and a black mask. On Friday evening, only 15 minutes after allegedly shooting and killing a deli worker on the Upper East Side, police claim he robbed a business on Melrose Avenue.
Around 11:30 p.m., a worker at the Daona Deli on 81st Street and Third Avenue was shot in the head before the suspect, also wearing a hazmat suit, fled the scene on a scooter.
Video surveillance footage inside the Bronx eatery Yaya Deli and Grill reveals a man wearing a white hazmat suit and a black mask. On Friday evening, only 15 minutes after allegedly shooting and killing a deli worker on the Upper East Side, police claim he robbed a business on Melrose Avenue.
(According to CBS NEWS) Fernando Mateo, a spokesperson for United Bodegas of America, said-
“He was full of life … What can you tell a family that has just lost the breadwinner, the supporter.”
Around 11:30 p.m., a worker at the Daona Deli on 81st Street and Third Avenue was shot in the head before the suspect, also wearing a hazmat suit, fled the scene on a scooter. Unknown victim fatalities were confirmed at the location.
“The guy must be crazy to go ahead and think it’s OK what he just did and go on and on and on,” said David Viera, a customer.
“We are behind the counter. We get robbed. We could get taken to the basement of our businesses or wherever and shot and killed the same way he was. We’re here to offer every bodega owner here support,” Mateo said.
Saturday morning, distraught locals and shoppers waited outside the bodega, unable to accept the news that the beloved deli worker had died.
“I’m in disbelief. Like I said, my colleague texted me and called me last night saying, ‘Look what happened, this terrible thing happened.’ I couldn’t find my sleep after that. But I’m here and I see the reality and I say, wow, this is terrible,” Viera said.
His clientele said he was a dedicated hard worker who freely shared encouragement and coffee.
“It’s so close to home. I live two block away. I get my breakfast sandwich from that place every morning. Just to be that close to something and know it could happen to you,” one man said.
“Very nice person, very nice. He was nice to all his customers,” one person said.
“I knew him very well. We would talk back and forth. He was a very hard-working man, this was his second job,” Upper East Side resident Alan Mandel said.
His clients also shared their worries for his well-being before the incident, as he worked the overnight shift alone.
“He’s always by himself at night, so I asked him one day, do you feel safe working in here by yourself? He said, oh, it’s OK, I’ll be alright,” one person said. “I was telling him you should have somebody in the store with you at night, working with you.”
“Looters have taken over our small businesses. They go in, and they take whatever they want and they walk out because they know they’re allowed to do that. They know that they can do it and get away with it,” Mateo said.
This is some of our most recent coverage if you’re interested in local crime:
The 67-year-old victim is remembered with a memorial outside Daona Deli. Despite police efforts, he remains unidentified, although we hear he has relatives in another country. United Bodegas of America has offered a reward of $5,000 for information leading to an arrest. They are demanding that something be done about these senseless murders.
“We can’t have a cop in front of every bodega. We can’t have police officers patrolling and watching out for the small businesses that are getting robbed,” Mateo said.
On Monday ( 4-3-2023), Union Bodegas of America representatives will meet with New York City Police Department Chief Jeffrey Maddrey to propose additional bodega worker safety measures. No one has been taken into custody as of yet.
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