Suspect in deadly stabbing at Harlem deli indicted by grand jury
NEW YORK -- The suspect accused of stabbing a postal worker to death during an argument at a Harlem deli was indicted by a grand jury Wednesday.
An attorney appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court on behalf of Jaia Cruz, who is facing murder and manslaughter charges.
The 24-year-old is accused of attacking 36-year-old Ray Hodge last Thursday inside a deli on Lenox Avenue between 118th and 119th streets.
Cruz is due back in court on Jan. 22.
Argument leads to deadly stabbing at Harlem deli
A deli worker told CBS News New York that Hodge was ordering a sandwich when Cruz became angry and began arguing with him over who was first on line to order. The worker said, in an instant, Cruz pulled out a knife and stabbed Hodge in the stomach.
"I separate them. The mail guy in the front, the lady she was in back. She spit on him, in his face. And mail guy, he got mad. Lemon juice next to the coffee machine, he threw on her. So she took the knife," the deli worker said. "This is so bad. This is my first time seeing this happen in front of my face."
Hodge suffered multiple stab wounds, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
USPS confirmed he had been a mail carrier since 2022, based out of the Morningside Annex on West 125th Street. In a statement, a representative wrote, "The Postal Inspection Service takes matters involving the safety and wellbeing of postal service employees as a top priority. We are working diligently with the New York City Police Department on this investigation."
Loved ones set up a memorial outside his Bronx home, where they hung up his USPS hat along with photos of the father of two.
"He was an honorable and respectful man, who took care of his family," his brother said in a statement.