A New York City woman was arrested in connection with the alleged fatal stabbing of a U.S. Postal Service worker inside a Harlem deli on Thursday, authorities said.
Jaia Cruz, 24, of Manhattan, is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Ray Hodges, 36, New York City police said in a statement.
The incident occurred around 2:38 p.m. inside 168 Lenox Ave. in Harlem, police said.
Hodges, of the Bronx, was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said.
Cruz was arrested and charged shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday, police said.
NBC New York reported that Hodges was at work when he was stabbed in the stomach.
An employee at the deli told the news outlet that a fight broke out over a food order and that the suspect was upset because the postal worker placed his order first.
An NYPD representative was not immediately reached Friday afternoon for comment on a possible motive.
The United States Postal Inspection Service confirmed in a statement that the person killed in the murder was a postal worker. The postman He was assigned to Manhattan, the Postal Inspection Service said.
“The Postal Inspection Service considers matters related to the safety and well-being of Postal Service employees a top priority. “We are working diligently with the New York City Police Department on this investigation,” the statement said.
A video of the suspect, Cruz, showed her in handcuffs being escorted to an unmarked car while members of the media shouted questions at her that she ignored. Some of the questions included why he stabbed a postal worker and whether the confrontation was over a sandwich.
It was not immediately clear Friday afternoon whether Cruz had retained an attorney.
Hodges’ relatives could not be reached for comment.
