The woman accused of stabbing a postal worker to death in Harlem on Thursday over a sandwich dispute has been charged with murder, police say.
Law enforcement sources said 24-year-old Jaia Cruz allegedly stabbed 36-year-old Ray Hodges to death at around 2:38 p.m. on Jan. 2 inside a deli at 168 Lenox Ave.
Hodges, a postal worker who was on the job and stepped inside the store to order a sandwich, got into an argument with Cruz when he stepped in front of her to place his order, according to sources familiar with the case.
Things turned physical and ended with Cruz allegedly stabbing the on-duty mailman multiple times in the stomach. Hodges was rushed to Harlem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“The USPS takes matters involving the safety and well-being of postal service employees as a top priority. We are working diligently with the New York State Police Department on this investigation,” the postal service said in a statement.
Cruz was taken into custody at the scene by cops from the 28th precinct and questioned throughout the day at the station house. However, she refused to answer for her alleged crime as the press peppered her with questions when detectives finally escorted her out of the precinct in handcuffs.
Cruz is charged with second-degree murder.
