A 24-year-old transgender New Yorker has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the stabbing of a U.S. mail carrier during his lunch break earlier this month, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
Jair Cruz, also known as Alvin, who is 6 feet 4 inches tall, got into an argument with 36-year-old mail carrier Ray Hodge III while he was waiting in line to order a lunch sandwich on January 2, police said. has been done.
Cruz allegedly pulled out a knife and killed Hodge in front of terrified customers, fellow mail carriers and staff at the restaurant on Lenox Street between West 118th and West 119th Streets in Manhattan. He is said to have stabbed him repeatedly.
Postman's family breaks silence after father-of-two murdered during lunch break
USPS mail carrier Ray Hodge III uses an undated family photo provided by his brother Ed Rice to deliver mail. (Courtesy of Ed Rice)
Hodge suffered knife wounds to his chest, neck and arm, authorities said.
Cruz walked home after the attack but was later arrested.
Suspect who stabbed postal worker to death while waiting in line at New York deli has history of knife violence
Hyia Cruz, a 24-year-old woman, was arrested and transferred from the 28th Precinct by the New York City Police Department on suspicion of stabbing a mail carrier to death in a deli while on duty in Harlem. (Kyle Mazza/Sipa/IMAGN)
Hodge was pronounced dead at Harlem Hospital. He was a father of two, and his USPS colleagues remembered him on social media as a “great and kind man.”
“We are extremely hurt and saddened by the loss of our brother,” his brother Ed Rice previously told FOX News Digital. “He was a wonderful person and brought positivity to so many people. We remain silent in our grief and are working through our brother's issues.”
Mr. Cruz has a history of knife violence, including robbery.
New York City police arrested in connection with stabbing death of post office worker
The New York City Police Department has charged Jaire Cruz with stabbing a USPS employee to death inside a Harlem deli. (Peter Garber)
As New York lawsuit progresses, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Postal Service law enforcementis asking anyone with additional information regarding this incident to call investigators at 1-877-876-2455.
“This alleged broad daylight stabbing shocked the neighborhood, including the deli employees and customers who witnessed the attack,” Bragg said. “Our thoughts are with those who mourn the passing of Ray Hodge, a postal worker and beloved father of two.”
The New York City Police Department has charged Jaire Cruz with stabbing a USPS employee to death inside a Harlem deli. (Peter Garber)
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The family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover funeral costs.
“Ray touched the lives of everyone he touched,” the fundraiser reads. “Ray was a hard-working, honorable and good man whose life exemplified his values and willingness to help others. Ray touched the lives of many people. We all , I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to know and love him.”
