A Harlem deli worker was stabbed Wednesday morning by a hangry knife-wielding madman who attempted to steal cake from the store.
Cops say the incident unfolded around 10:40 a.m. on March 19 at the food market located at 2133 3rd Ave., where the masked man knifed a 24-year-old store employee in the neck, then fled the store on foot southbound on 3rd Avenue.
The motive for the attack, one of the wounded colleagues told amNewYork, was apparently a piece of cake.
“He wanted to steal something and he wanted to stop him and he stabbed him,” said Musa Ilmuliaki, a fellow store worker. “He was trying to steal a cake. He was talking badly.”
Surveillance video obtained by amNewYork Metro showed the masked man, while wearing blue clothing, acting erratically moments before he pulled out a knife and charged at the wounded cashier with the weapon.
Moments later, the video shows the victim staggering out of the store, holding his shirt to his neck before being led into an ambulance. EMS rushed him to Harlem Hospital, where police say he is listed in stable condition.
“The cashier is like my cousin; he lives with me,” another worker by the name of Osama said. “He is going to be okay.”
So far, no arrests have been made in the case. Anyone with information regarding this stabbing can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
