Footage released Tuesday allegedly showed a Manhattan bodega worker stabbing a customer to death during an altercation Friday.
The worker, identified as Jose Alba, was reportedly tending to a customer when 37-year-old Austin Simon approached and shoved Alba into a set of shelves, according to video shared by the New York Post.
Simon can be seen yelling at Alba, who subsequently fell to the floor after Simon shoved him, according to the video. Alba then got up and pulled out a large knife, allegedly shoving it into the side of Simon’s neck and chest, according to the video. Simon was immediately covered in blood, but there is little to be seen of the fight as a majority of it took place off-screen.
When Alba reentered the camera shot, he appeared to have blood on his arms and was still holding the knife, according to the video. (RELATED: REPORT: Man Shot In Broad Daylight In NYC. Brother Of Victim Allegedly Suffers Heart Attack When Hearing Of Death)
A woman supposedly summoned Simon into the store because she had been refused service as she could not afford a packet of chips, according to the New York Post. Simon was taken to Harlem Hospital and later pronounced dead, the outlet continued.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams said that his city has become a “laughingstock” amid crime surge https://t.co/Fq4vnTGjMd
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 28, 2022
Alba is being held on Rikers Island with a $250,000 bail. He is due to appear in court on Thursday, the outlet reported.
The deadly altercation was one of at least two fatal stabbings in New York City on Friday night, the outlet noted. New York City has seen an almost 26% rise in violent crime since the same time in 2021.
