NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A woman was indicted Thursday on a second-degree murder charge after she allegedly stabbed an on-duty U.S. mail carrier at a deli in Harlem this month.
Jaia Cruz, 24, was arrested shortly after the stabbing inside the deli at 168 Lenox Ave. around 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 2.
According to police, Cruz and the 36-year-old victim, Ray Hodge, of the Bronx, were arguing about who was next in line at the sandwich counter when she stabbed him seven times in the chest, neck and arm.
Hodge’s postal cart was still sitting outside the business when NYPD officers arrived and found him on the floor of the deli wearing his postal uniform.
“This alleged broad-daylight stabbing shook the neighborhood, including the deli workers and customers who witnessed the attack,” Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg said in a statement Thursday. “My thoughts are with those grieving the loss of Ray Hodge, a postal worker and beloved father of two.”
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service said Hodge was a letter carrier assigned to Manhattan. He was pronounced dead at NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem.
Cruz returned to her apartment building after the stabbing and was arrested in the lobby, according to authorities.