‘He looked out for absolutely everyone here’: Friends and neighbors discuss slain deli worker Abdul Saleh

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Loved ones are mourning the loss of Abdul Saleh, 28, who was shot and killed late Saturday night outside Sal's Deli & Grocery on 13th Street and Avenue B, where he worked at the family-run business. 

According to police and media accounts, an argument that began inside the deli spilled out onto the street, where Saleh was shot in the stomach. 

Friends said he had recently returned from Yemen, where he has relatives. Saleh, who reportedly has two young children, lived with family members around the corner on 14th Street.

An NYPD source said the investigation remains active, with officers continuing to staff the scene around the clock. As of now, there are no public updates from detectives.

Sal's Deli remains closed, with no word on when it might reopen. 

Neighbors and friends described Saleh as a deeply caring presence in the community. 

"To me, Abdul was family," East Village resident Edy Castro told EVG's Stacie Joy. "He looked out for absolutely everyone here… He had a way of making every person feel seen." 

Castro recalled how Saleh quietly helped neighbors in need. "There were so many times when my kids and I faced food insecurity, and he would look out for us… He simply wouldn't let us go hungry." 

Another resident told EVG that both Sal's and its sibling deli, Brothers on 14th Street and Avenue B, "have wonderful people working there and are really the backbone of the neighborhood."

In an Instagram post yesterday, actress Rosario Dawson paid tribute to Saleh and his family. 

"So sad, tragic and terrible. Abdul worked at the neighborhood deli that I've been going to since I was a kid. He was a very sweet and beloved member of the community," she wrote. 

Others echoed that sentiment, calling him a kind, steady presence on the block. 

"It feels like a piece of the community was taken from us," one friend told NY1.

The United Bodegas of America is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction, and is again calling for more safety measures for bodega workers across the city. 

As several media outlets noted, ABC 7 featured Saleh in a news report last May, calling for the installation of panic buttons as part of a United Bodegas of America campaign to help address the uptick in violence workers faced.

We'll continue to update as more information becomes available.

Former St. Brigid School on 7th and B hits the market as a development site

Photos by Stacie Joy

The former St. Brigid School building at 185 E. Seventh St., on the northeast corner of Avenue B, is now being marketed as a development site. (This is just for the former school. The St. Brigid-St. Emeric church and the rectory are not part of the potential sale.)

Per the Avison Young listing, the property owned by the Archdiocese of New York is being pitched as a "premier development opportunity" adjacent to Tompkins Square Park, with the potential for roughly 71,000 square feet of residential use — or more than 94,000 square feet with on-site affordable housing under current zoning and available air rights. 

"The East Village has seen minimal ground-up luxury condominium construction in recent years, creating a rare opportunity to capture unmet demand in a supply-constrained market," the listing notes. 

The building most recently served as the city's Asylum Seeker Resource Navigation Center and Reticketing Center, which quietly closed in June 2025. For more than two years, the building had assisted with asylum seekers.

Before that, the site housed the St. Brigid School, founded in 1856, for generations. 

As previously reported, the Archdiocese of New York announced in early 2019 that the school would close at the end of the academic year — a move that blindsided students, parents and faculty. 

No official word on what a future project here might look like, though the listing makes clear what could rise on this corner via this rendering (brace!):

And an aerial view via Avison Young showing the corner and surrounding parts of the East Village and Tompkins Square Park...

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Inside the East Village 'respite center' for asylum seekers

• At the former St. Brigid School, a generous outpouring of community support for asylum seekers

• Despite the city's endless bureaucracy, East Village residents continue to aid asylum seekers at the former St. Brigid School 

Monday's parting shot

Photo by Steven 

A mattress-with-a-message discard on Ninth Street this afternoon...

Remembering Wayne, who made friends on every walk

Thank you to EVG reader Danny for sharing this... 

Wayne, a 16-year-old long-haired dachshund and blue heeler mix, died peacefully at home this past Wednesday. 

Born on a farm outside San Marcos, Texas, in February 2010, he was adopted as a puppy by Taylor Davis at 8 weeks. Together with Taylor, he moved briefly to Austin, Texas, before his big move to NYC. After stints in Harlem and Bushwick, where he lived for nearly a decade, he became a resident of East Fourth Street in the summer of 2022. 

The East Village was Wayne's retirement home, and he had many canine and human pals on the dog-heavy stretch of Fourth Street between First and Second Avenues. Wayne was loved by all who met him — even those who admitted they usually didn't like dogs. 

He was a fan of long, meandering walks, fighting the pillows, and feeling the wind blow his hair back. He licked like no dog you'd ever met - cleaning his paws obsessively whenever given the opportunity. He was instantly recognizable by his tartan plaid bow tie, which he wore with pride. 

In early 2026, Wayne was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer in his muzzle. He lived his final days happily, getting visits from all his friends, getting regular walks, and still doing the stairs every day, and getting to eat all the things a dog isn't normally allowed. 

He was put to sleep peacefully in his bed, surrounded by loved ones. Wayne is survived by his parents, Taylor and Danny, and although his physical form has left us, his spirit lives on in the hearts of everyone whose lives he brightened. 

A 3rd Street staple, Rossy’s Bakery & Café, closes after 16 years

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Rossy's Bakery & Café at 242 E. Third St. has closed after 16 years in the neighborhood. 

As owner Roselia "Rossy" Caba told us last year, trying to stay affordable while covering costs was no longer sustainable. In addition, her mother, Norma Ortiz, who started the business, was retiring.

Caba's brother, Gabriel Escalante, was also part of the operation.

Ortiz began by baking cakes for family and friends from her Second Street apartment. As demand grew, the mother-daughter team opened a storefront a few blocks away between Avenue B and Avenue C in 2010. 

Over the years, Rossy's became a go-to for affordable, home-style Dominican and Spanish food — from BBQ ribs and baked chicken to rice-and-beans plates, along with empanadas, smoothies and coffee. 

Said Caba: "With the way things are, it makes no sense for us to continue… We can't keep trying to be affordable to the community and still make money anymore." 

We recently stopped by as the family was packing up the shop between Avenue B and Avenue C...

The business had been on the market as a turnkey opportunity, though no qualified buyer ultimately stepped forward. 

Rossy's drew a wide cross-section of the neighborhood — regulars grabbing coffee in the morning, workers stopping in for lunch, kids after school, and plenty of familiar faces who didn't need to look at the menu. It was the kind of place where orders were remembered and conversations picked up where they left off. 

A neighborhood spot in every sense.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• A visit to Rossy's Bakery & Café on 3rd Street 

Blank Street is leaving 149 Avenue A

A for-rent sign (listing) hangs in the front window at Blank Street Coffee at 149 Avenue A between Ninth and 10th Street. (Thanks to EVG reader Dena for the pic!) 

This outpost, which opened in November 2021, will be closing. We hear the lease is up, and management declined to renew, citing the storefront's (alleged) outdated electrical system as the reason for the departure. 

Staff will be reassigned to our BS outposts. 

This pending closure marks the last of the East Village Blank Street outposts. The V.C.-funded coffee chain also had locations on Third Avenue... First Avenue and in the Bowery Market. 

As previously noted, not everyone was a fan of the company. Per the Times in 2022: "When word got out that Blank Street is not an independent chain ... but an enterprise with global ambitions backed by private equity financing, many became curious — and sometimes suspicious."

Signage alert: Olio e Più on 3rd Avenue

Doorway signage has arrived for Olio e Più on the NW corner of Third Avenue and 13th Street. (Thanks to EVG reader Helena Kohl for the tip and pic!) 

This will be the third NYC outpost for the Italian trattoria that also has locations in Chicago and Washington, D.C. 

Per its website, the EV spaces will also offer a "warm and welcoming setting for private events, cocktail receptions, and group gatherings across two floors. Our private balcony looks out over one of downtown's most beloved streets..." [Ed note: Heh. Also, Taco Bell is across the street.] 

No word on an opening date. 

The address (106 Third Ave.) last housed Thirty Love Sports & Leisure and the Memory Motel pop-up. The corner spot was also previously home to various sports bars with animal names in their titles: the Brazen Fox, Ugly Duckling and blue bird.

Signage alert: Art Laboratory Wine Bar at 40 Avenue B

Photo by Stacie Joy

The Wine Art Laboratory signage has arrived at 40 Avenue B, between Third and Fourth Streets. 

Per the questionnaire on file with CB3 this month, this will be a Georgian-style restaurant with a wine bar.

Despite concerns about the history of this space (see below) and the block, CB3's SLA committee OK'd a beer-wine license for the operator, though with the added stipulation that the business closes daily at midnight. (Find the full CB3 vote sheet here.)

No. 40 had an uneven run of tenants in recent years — from the good, like Fonda (RIP 2020), to the more problematic. El Carnaval, a notoriously loud Panamanian restaurant and bar, was accused of serving liquor without a license in the summer of 2021 (and caught on video)... Dora's Restaurant, which followed with similar allegations, and DJs playing to an empty establishment.

Sunday's parting shot

This was the second Sunday morning this month that included a vehicle turning right on the corner of Clinton and Houston ... and ending lodged atop the safety bollard. 

Time to put the bollard on hazard pay?

Ramones at 50

Photo by Stacie Joy

From this past week... the self-titled debut album from the Ramones arrived 50 years ago on April 23, 1976.

On the subject... as previously reported, Howl! Happening has an exhibit titled "Arturo Vega: the merch master" up through May 24... it's a deep dive into the branding world of the logo designer, spokesperson and lighting director for the Ramones. 

Howl! Happening is at 6 E. First St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery. Hours: Wednesday-Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. 

Plenty's been said about the record (check out this WNYC interview with Craig Leon and John Homstrom) ... here's a reminder of the role longtime East Village resident Roberta Bayley and Albert's Garden on Second Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery played on the debut record...

 

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[Updating] Reports of a deadly shooting on 13th Street and Avenue B

We'll continue to monitor and update — as is often the case, initial details may change as more information becomes available. See below for updates.

There are unconfirmed reports of a fatal shooting late last night on 13th Street and Avenue B. 

According to @ScooterCasterNY on X, police responded around 11:42 p.m. following a confrontation inside a deli that reportedly spilled out onto the street. Two men, both said to be 28, were shot. One of them died, per@ScooterCasterNY. 

According to residents, the deli in question was 216 Sal's Deli & Grocery on the NW corner of 13th and B.

Per amNewYork, the victim worked at Sal's. 

An EVG reader provided this account: 

My wife and I were awakened by the sound of 2 or 3 shots at about 11:40 p.m., and saw from our window a wounded guy stumble to 13th Street and Avenue B. There were a couple of others trying to help him. Police came first and gave the wounded man initial treatment, and he was then put on an ambulance, which arrived a moment or two later. 

To be honest, he looked quite bad — he had been screaming and struggling initially, but was motionless and quiet by the time he received first aid, seemingly including CPR. 

The resident reported that both Sal's and their other deli, Brothers on 14th and B, were closed this morning. 

Updated: 

The NYPD remained on the scene early this afternoon... (photos by Stacie Joy).

There are also several candles outside the closed Sal's...

"I am confident in the quality of the detective work and expect to apprehend the subject soon," Deputy Inspector Pamela Jeronimo of the NYPD's 9th Precinct, told EVG's Stacie Joy. 

Jeronimo had worked the overnight crime scene. 

When asked for more details, she stated: "I can't release any information because it could compromise our investigation." 

Updated 5:20 p.m.

The memorial has grown for the deli employee, named by the media and authorities as Abdul Saleh.

Emmad El-Hassil told the Post that Saleh was his cousin who had just returned from a family trip to Yemen. 

"He just started working again today," El-Hassil said.

Week in Grieview

From the past week, in which we had three different seasons over seven days. Photo in Tompkins by Stacie Joy

Never miss an EVG post with the weekly EVG newsletter. Free right here. 

• Judge pauses the City's East Village intake shelter plan (April 22) … Lawsuit filed to block East Village shelter plan; residents launch petition (April 21) 

• For Two Boots Pizza on Avenue A, a tough slice of reality (April 24) 

• First look at the condoplex that replaced a former synagogue on 4th Street (April 20) 
• A (literal) visit with Anne DeVita (April 23) 

• Landlord: STIK's 'Liberty' mural will remain on 9th Street and Avenue A (April 24)

• Around the clock again: Veselka's weekend overnight service is back (April 20) 

• The Lower East Side Film Festival returns for its 16th edition (April 22) 

• Shut out of Washington Square Park, 4/20 celebration descends on Tompkins (April 20) 

• Report of a roof fire at 433 E. 13th St. (April 21) 

• This car has made the city nearly $10,000 (April 20) 

• The owner of Corner Bistro is opening a licensed cannabis dispensary on 9th Street (April 21) 

• Report: SantaCon fraud charges met with a collective 'shocking, said no one' (April 19) 

• MoRUS is screening films about squatting and housing activism on the Lower East Side (April 21) 
• Art returns to a familiar wall on Avenue C (April 21) 

• New Italian restaurant Prosciutto coming to 9th Street (April 22) 

• From the 1980s to today: Daniel Root's East Village in focus (April 24) 

• Openings: Teriyaki One Japanese Grill on 1st Avenue (April 20) 

• Noted: Please take your rooftop shenanigans elsewhere (April 25)

• Swap at this St. Mark's Place M8 stop: bench replaces leaning bar (April 22) 

... and walking off with a Delancey Street sunset from Friday...

Noted: Please take your rooftop shenanigans elsewhere

Photo by Steven 

Spotted along Ninth Street... per the door note: 

Dear Neighbor,

We heard you on our roof last night and watched you crawl back into your window. 

Could you please find another roof for your late-night shenanigans? 

There have been a lot of breakins so we call the cops when we hear people up there. 

Whether or not you're trying to break in and steal my worthless crap, it's scary and super loud when you're up there. 

THANKS — Your neighbor

Saturday's opening shot

Given the all-day rain forecast, staying indoors and reading seems like a good option... we started "No New York" by Adele Bertei, which focuses on the women who made up the No Wave scene ... and we just got to the chapter titled "The East Village."

There's a thoughtful Q&A with Bertei here at The Quietus. 

Elsewhere today, there are Car-Free Earth Day activities around the city. (We drove around but couldn't find any car-free activities.) 

On a serious note, the car-free activities planned on Avenue B in conjunction with the annual Spring Awakening celebration via LUNGS will now take place on May 9.

'Media' gazer

 

Fresh from playing two high-energy shows at the Mercury Lounge... here is the LA-based trio Clarion with "Media Mediocracy."

April 24

Ringing in the last weekend of April in Stuy Town... 

Thanks to Justin Martin for the pic!

From the 1980s to today: Daniel Root’s East Village in focus

Longtime East Village photographer Daniel Root has a new book out next month: "The East Village Then and Now: Capturing the Changing Streets" (Abbeville Press). 

The book pairs Root's photos of the Lower East Side and East Village from the early/mid-1980s with images of the same (or similar) locations today — a decades-spanning look at a neighborhood in constant motion. 

Backstory: In 1984, Root was commissioned to photograph "the changing East Village." The photos were taken, but the accompanying writing never materialized. The images were shelved as Root continued documenting the neighborhood over the years. 

A book project resurfaced in 2014 ... but didn't come together. 

Now, more than 40 years after those first shots, the project is finally in print. The book includes a foreword by Peter McGough and an essay by Beat historian and Allen Ginsberg archivist Bill Morgan. It also features a Tompkins Square Park cartoon from Stan Mack and a poem by Ginsberg. 

Root has several upcoming local events around the release:

• Sunday: Walk + talk at P&T Knitwear (1:30–3:30 p.m., ticketed) 

• May 3: Conversation with musician Eric Ambel at Book Club Bar (7–8 p.m., details) 

Publication date is May 12. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• After the last call: East Village photographer captures bars at dawn

[Updated] For Two Boots Pizza on Avenue A, a tough slice of reality

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

As the future of Two Boots on Avenue A remains uncertain, owner Phil Hartman says the beloved decades-spanning pizzeria is weighing a handful of difficult options — none of which include leaving the East Village. 

Last Friday, the landlord had two large for-lease signs affixed to the corner space — hours before Hartman was hosting a party at Two Boots to celebrate the re-release of his 1986 film, "No Picnic," at the Film Forum. 

While Hartman said he had a cordial relationship with the landlord, he was upset when he learned the for-lease banner had been put up without his knowledge. He had it removed. 

With a looming rent increase and new "for lease" signs returning soon outside 42 Avenue A at Third Street, Hartman says the choices come down to staying and absorbing annual losses, relocating to another part of the neighborhood, or returning to the original mid-block space at 37 Avenue A. 

A decision, he said, is likely in the coming weeks as he balances financial realities with deep roots on the block — and concern from staff and the community.

Hartman got emotional during a recent conversation about Two Boots' future. 

He was clear about this: "What is NOT an option: leaving the EV, our birthplace, behind." 

 

Is there an update on the lease situation?

No, really, there's no update. I was quite sad because there had been no warning [about the for-lease signs]. We had an event [last Friday night], so I asked them to take it down. And they did. And then they asked us to put it back up on Monday. But we just got a special event with Alan Cumming. Alan was doing a series with the BBC on his favorite spots in New York, and he chose Two Boots as his pizza place. We created a pizza called The Cumming for him. He just came in and shot with his crew today. So that was fun. 

I feel like [the for-lease sign] is seeking to pressure us. And I just don't know what we're going to do, so I don't have an update on our plans. They remain that we're either going to stay where we are or we're going to relocate in the East Village. Those are the only options.

Is there a timeline? When do you have to make a decision? 

I would say in the next couple of weeks. Honestly, I've been really preoccupied with my film. So I've put it off a little bit, but now the film's up and running, and it's selling out every show, which has been great. Now I've got to figure it out. I have looked at other locations. ["No Picnic" has also been extended a week at the Film Forum.]

My past is rooted in this piece of land here on Avenue A. So it's very difficult.

If you do decide that what the landlord is asking for is too much, that the margins would be too slim, and you would need to leave. Is there an exit date? 

Not yet, but I will share that when we get to that point. I'm just grappling with this very emotional situation, and I've got a dozen staff members there who are obviously very concerned. And I've had a whole community of people that are really concerned, and I'm trying to take all that into account.

I am going to put a clipboard on the counter [at Two Boots] so that people can leave their contact info, and I can keep them in the loop. 

Updated 2 p.m. The sign arrived today...

Per Hartman: "Sign is up. Ugh — so, upsetting."

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Two Boots' longtime Avenue A home listed for the first time in 30 years as lease talks continue 

• Checking in with Phil Hartman on Two Boots' future on Avenue A — and the East Village

Landlord: STIK’s 'Liberty' mural will remain on 9th Street and Avenue A

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Workers have been painting the building at the southwest corner of Ninth Street and Avenue A, prompting concern about the "Liberty" mural's fate.

A member of the building's management team, on-site yesterday, said the north-facing mural by UK street artist STIK was likely to remain. The rep contacted us later to confirm the news.

The rep also admitted that the landlord was surprised by the outpouring of support on social media for the 13-year-old, four-floor-tall artwork. 

"The importance to the community is what did it," the rep said. "We will paint around it in some form."

In an Instagram Story, STIK also confirmed the news that the mural would be spared from the paint-over... and thanked everyone who spoke out about it.

The piece arrived in September 2013, a gift from the now-closed Dorian Grey Gallery on Ninth Street, and was meant to honor the history of Tompkins Square Park.

The rep said the building has been in contact with the artist and had been "exploring options," adding: "We're doing our best to speak to the community and we're taking into consideration the neighborhood."

He also noted that the building is in disrepair, pointing to recently refreshed details: "You can see how nice and sharp the cornices look now."

As previously reported, in December 2022, entities tied to landlord Nuchem Obstfeld purchased a five-building East Village portfolio for $29 million, including 413, 438 and 440 E. Ninth St., as well as 141 and 153 Avenue A. 

Chico's long-standing Doc Holliday's mural was not part of the building painting project, the rep said.

Thursday's parting shot

Thanks to riachung00 for this nice shot of the Dr. Seussian Redbud in Albert's Garden on Second Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery...