NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Brooklyn man was indicted on attempted murder and other charges Monday after allegedly throwing an explosive into a Bedford-Stuyvesant deli in late October.
Joel Mangal, 38, of Flatbush, was arraigned on a 29-count indictment charging him with attempt murder, arson, criminal possession of a weapon, aggravated harassment, assault and other crimes.
According to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, Mangal was in the deli on Oct. 30 around 7 a.m. when he allegedly threatened to kill two employees and said he would burn the building down.
It remains unclear why Mangal allegedly made the threats, but Gonzalez said he picked up an apple from the store and threw it at an employee, breaking a television screen in the process, before leaving.
Gonzalez said that Mangal returned about an hour later and threw a Molotov cocktail inside the deli, which “exploded into a fireball on impact and engulfed the deli counter.”
A portion of the casher counter went up in flames in the incident and the two employees were forced to jump through the flames to flee to safety, the DA added.
One of the employees was injured when his foot and arm caught fire.
The DA said Mangal remained at the scene and attempted to throw a second Molotov cocktail into the store, but a passerby knocked it out of his hand.
Mangal then allegedly fled the scene, heading for the Nostrand Avenue subway station as the deli employees chased him.
During the pursuit, Mangal allegedly fought with one of the victims and stabbed him in the hand, Gonzalez said.
The other worker was able to find a police officer and point out Mangal on the subway platform before he was able to flee the location, the DA said. He was then placed under arrest.
“Thankfully, this frightening attack did not lead to more serious injuries, but this kind of lawlessness is dangerous and requires an appropriate law enforcement response. We will now seek to bring this defendant to justice and hold him accountable,” Gonzalez said in a statement.
Mangal was ordered held on bail of $500,000 cash or $1,000,000 bond and told to return to court on Jan. 27, 2022.
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