USPS worker stabbed to death ordering sandwich in NYC remembered as "honorable and respectful"
NEW YORK -- A Bronx family is in mourning after a father who worked for the U.S. Postal Service was fatally stabbed during an argument Thursday while ordering a deli sandwich.
Loved ones said it happened while he was on the job as a mail carrier, and he took the job to get out of poverty.
Mail carrier remembered as "honorable and respectful"
A makeshift memorial is growing outside 36-year-old Ray Hodge's home. His USPS hat is in the middle of the memorial. Loved ones lit candles and hung photos of the Bronx father of two.
"Just messed up that [his] family has got to go through this," one person said. "He was trying to make some money, doing enough to provide for his kids and family."
"He was an honorable and respectful man, who took care of his family," Hodge's brother said in a statement.
"To see him go from one stage to the next, to better himself was anything you can [want] from a kid," a family friend named Andrea said.
Officials said Hodge worked as a mail carrier since 2022, based out of the Morningside Annex on West 125th Street.
What happened at the deli
According police, Hodge was fatally stabbed while ordering a sandwich at a deli in Harlem. Jaia Cruz, 24, has been arrested for the crime, police said.
Witnesses said she got angry and started to argue with Hodge over who was first in line to order. Deli workers said they saw the whole thing.
"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."
Witnesses claimed that, in an instant, Cruz pulled out a knife and fatally stabbed Hodge.
In a statement to CBS News New York, the USPS said it "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. To protect the integrity of this investigation, we cannot provide further details at this time. If your viewers have information, please contact postal inspectors at 212-330-2400."
Workers said both the suspect and victim were regular customers who had no history of disputes in the past.
Cruz faces murder charges. Police said a woman was recovered from the scene.
A teacher at a school near the deli said the commotion forced a lockdown, which is routine when there's any sort of danger in the area.
Another postal worker attacked in Harlem
On the heels on Hodge's murder, a female USPS worker was attacked in Harlem on Friday, police said.
A stranger struck the woman, 32, in the stomach with an unknown object at around 7:30 a.m. on Lexington Avenue near East 99th Street, according to NYPD.
The postal worker was hospitalized. Her injuries were believed to be non-life-threatening.
It was not immediately known why she was targeted, police said.
The suspect was described as a female in her 50s wearing a black coat.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
