Police: Turf war over drug trade cause of last week's deadly shooting in Tompkins Square Park

Photo (from July 12) by Stacie Joy

Reporting by Stacie Joy 

The NYPD provided an update on last Friday's fatal double shooting in Tompkins Square Park. 

According to the police and media accounts, the victim, 74-year-old Fermin Frito, was selling drugs at the chess tables inside the 7th and A entrance when a suspect shot him and another man, 44-year-old Edwin Rivera, just before 10 a.m. 

"This is a targeted attack against a perceived drug rival," an NYPD source told us. The source went on to say that this is what happens if you engage in drug activity ... if you are buying or dealing and emphasized that the rest of the Park is safe, including the playgrounds. 

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters that Rivera was allegedly a "steerer" who directed potential clients to Frito. Kenny also said that two crews are fighting over the drug trade in Tompkins, as the Daily News noted. 

ABC 7 reported that Frito, who has 13 prior arrests, was stabbed in East Flatbush last month. Police are looking into any possible connection to the TSP shooting.

Our NYPD source said that the fact the police haven't released information about the alleged shooter means they have a pretty good idea who the suspect is and are trying to apprehend him without interference. 

The chess tables will be closed behind barricades, as they've been after previous bouts of violence. Our source said this is a short-term solution, and between this and 14th Street, the NYPD will need other city agencies to assist.

In the aftermath of yesterday's deadly shooting in Tompkins Square Park

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

After being shot near the chess tables in Tompkins Square Park yesterday morning, one of the two victims, a 44-year-old male, entered the Avenue A Deli and Grill between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, seeking help before collapsing, according to witnesses and police sources. 

EMTs took the man to Bellevue. He was out of surgery early last evening, though we have not heard an official update on his condition. 

The deli was expected to reopen after crime scene investigators finished their work last night. (These photos are from 6 p.m.)

The shooting occurred around 9:45 a.m., just inside the 7th and A entrance to Tompkins Square Park. One of the victims, a man in his 70s, died from his wounds. Police sources have said the shooting was drug-related. 

The suspect, who was seen in the area up to an hour before the shooting, ran toward Seventh Street and Avenue B after the gunfire. Police sources said he may have discarded the white gloves and hoodie he was wearing before fleeing. 

The NYPD has not yet released an official description of the suspect. 

The chess tables, a hot spot for criminal activity in recent years, will remain "closed until further notice," per an X post early yesterday afternoon from local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera...

My office is in contact w/@NYPD9Pct regarding the shooting at Tompkins Square Park. NYPD is investigating and multiple departments and city agencies are on notice to address ongoing and related criminal activity in this area. The chess area will be closed until further notice.

— NYC Council Member Carlina Rivera (@CMCarlinaRivera) July 12, 2024

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online. All calls are strictly confidential.

Updated 9 a.m. 

The Seventh and A entrance to the Park was open early this morning, with access to the chess tables... crime scene tape remained up on the fences nearby...

Updated 3 p.m.: The barricades are now blocking the chess tables (photo below by Stacie Joy)

[Updating] Two men shot, 1 fatally, at the chess tables in Tompkins Square Park this morning, police say

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

This is a developing story, and we will update you when more information becomes available. Find the latest info, as of July 19, here.

Two men were shot this morning around 9:45 at the chess tables near the entrance to Tompkins Square Park at Seventh Street and Avenue A, the NYPD has confirmed.

The condition of the two victims is not known at the moment. Updated 1:14 p.m. Police confirmed that one of the victims, a man in his 70s, has died. (EMTs took both shooting victims to Bellevue.)

Police sources tell us that the shooting was drug-related and that it involved "problematic people at the Park." The suspect, wearing a hoodie and mask, was seen fleeing down Seventh Street toward Avenue B. There are early reports of a white vehicle involved in a getaway. 

Police are canvassing the area and scrutinizing surveillance footage.

Updated: Police said the suspect was seen in and around the Park about 50 minutes prior to the shooting wearing gloves, a mask, and a hoodie. 

An EVG reader shared this with us: 

Around 9:45 a.m. I heard around 5-8 shots ring out (LOUD shots), followed by everyone fleeing the Park. I was in the dog run with a whole bunch of fellow owners, trying to get our very scared pups out of there in a hurry. I'm a 15-year resident [and this was the] first time I've been forced to flee like that.

This past March, there were two daytime shootings (by the same suspect who was later arrested) in the Park. In the first shooting on March 16, a bullet struck an innocent bystander, a 53-year-old tourist, in her right hip, which had to be surgically replaced. 

The chess tables have long been a problem, an area where there have been multiple reports of drug use and sales, fencing stolen property, and various fist/knife fights. 

The NYPD and Parks Enforcement Patrol barricaded the area for most of the summer of 2022. In October 2022, a delivery man was slashed in the face here in the afternoon. 

As we wrote in August 2022: "Eventually, the barricades are removed ... and nothing ever really changes." 

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online. All calls are strictly confidential.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

City clears and closes the area around the chess tables in Tompkins Square Park (Sept. 1, 2021)

A look at 14th Street and 1st Avenue — 'a New York Block No One Can Fix'

The New York Times checked in yesterday with a look at the long-problematic stretch of 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue in a piece titled "A Street Brawl, a Stabbing Spree and a New York Block No One Can Fix" ... following the triple stabbing left one man dead on June 23. 

As the paper notes, "East 14th Street also embodies New York City’s struggles with a web of interconnected ills that have defied attempts to rein them in and have flared since the pandemic in parts of Manhattan: homelessness and mental illness, addiction and rampant shoplifting and seesaw battles for control of public space." 

The piece has more about the suspect, Alejandro Piedra, a 30-year-old man "with a history of serious mental illness who now faces charges of murder and attempted murder," and one of the stabbing victims, who has returned to 14th Street — his "stomping grounds." 

Since the stabbings, the NYPD has been a regular presence on the block, both on foot patrols and in patrol cars. Last week, Mayor Adams reportedly allocated $1 million to place a police mobile command center there. 

You can read the full article here. (The piece also mentions some previous EVG coverage.) 

Meanwhile, on Monday, local elected officials took part in a meeting with various city agencies...

We must keep working together as a community to tackle our toughest issues, and I remain committed to securing more resources for 14th Street as public safety concerns persist. I'm grateful for today's multi-agency meeting and will keep fighting to improve our neighborhood. pic.twitter.com/WTYWX289hQ

— Carlina Rivera (@CarlinaRivera) July 8, 2024

On way to an all hands on deck meeting with city agencies & elected officials re: 14th Street.

Conditions this AM looking good. The way it should be everyday. pic.twitter.com/4SdntSNwNS

— Keith Powers (@KeithPowersNYC) July 8, 2024

We all want to be safe. That is why I Joined my colleagues and representatives from City agencies to discuss how to improve the 14th street corridor, which we have long raised concerns about. We had a good conversation with @NYPDnews @NYCSanitation w/ @NYCDHS and @GoddardRiv. pic.twitter.com/SKcCtwTFsy

— Harvey Epstein (@HarveyforNY) July 8, 2024

Since June 23, several residents and readers have said they've noticed a positive difference along this corridor, though each has asked: Will it last?

D.A. Bragg announces indictment of suspect in random slashing on Astor Place

Top photo from June 6 via the Citizen app 

Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg yesterday announced the indictment of Steven Johnson, 35, in the random slashing of a man on Astor Place on June 6. Bragg said that Johnson is also accused of assaulting a restaurant employee with a tire chain on St Mark's Place the day before. 

The D.A.'s office stated that Johnson "is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with one count of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, two counts of Assault in the First Degree, and one count of Assault in the Second Degree." 

According to court documents and statements made on the record in court, on June 5, 2024, at approximately 12:45 p.m. at 34 St. Mark's Place, Johnson was lying in front of and partially blocking the doorway of a restaurant entrance [there are two restaurants at the address — Birria LES and Anytime Street]. The restaurant employee recognized Johnson from a similar prior encounter, asked him to leave, and called 911. While the restaurant employee was on the phone with dispatchers, Johnson approached him from behind and struck him in the head with a metal bike chain, causing significant bleeding from a laceration that required stitches at Bellevue Hospital. 

The next day, on June 6, 2024, Johnson was removed from the Union Square subway station after sitting in the middle of the platform and blocking pedestrian traffic. Minutes later, at approximately 5:15 p.m., Johnson walked behind a man who was seated at a table in the Astor Place pedestrian plaza and slashed him with a sharp object from his right ear to his left shoulder.

Johnson fled to the subway station at East 14th Street and First Avenue while bystanders rendered aid to the victim, who was rushed to Bellevue Hospital. The victim underwent surgery and is facing permanent scarring.

Police arrested Johnson on June 8 at the subway station on East 86th Street and Lexington Avenue wearing the same clothing he had on during the alleged assaults.

"My thoughts are with the victims as they heal from their extensive injuries," said Bragg in a statement. "Those who harm and threaten the safety of New Yorkers will be held accountable."

Public records show that Johnson is due back in court on Aug. 12.

This morning on 14th Street between Avenue A and 1st Avenue

We walked on 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue this morning around 7:30, when people typically start selling random items — including dented canned goods, rusted tools, soiled clothing and forgotten DVD titles — from sheets and blankets on the sidewalk. 

Depending on the weather, up to a dozen people can be selling items.

The block was empty this morning except for the longtime fruit vendor who set up near Trader Joe's.

At Immaculate Conception Church, the weekly Saturday flea market was getting underway inside the grounds. (Local elected officials have asked the Archdiocese and the church to end the flea market, though to date, they have not heeded the requests.)

We saw two NYPD officers on foot patrol. As previously mentioned, there are also the two NYPD light towers on the south side of the street. 

These developments unfolded this past week after a deadly triple stabbing last Sunday just before 6 p.m. along this busy commercial corridor and across the street from Stuy Town. 

Police arrested a suspect, 30-year-old Alejandro Piedra, who was later charged with murder with depraved indifference and attempted murder with depraved indifference, according to the NYPD and media accounts. Police said Piedra allegedly killed 38-year-old Clemson Cockfield and injured his wife, 52-year-old Jennifer Cockfield, as well as another man, 32-year-old Jonathan Lopez. 

During a police briefing on Tuesday, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said all three victims sell second-hand items along this block.

The sidewalk sales are just one of the activities that residents have cited through the years along this problematic block, quality-of-life issues that include drug trafficking, early morning prostitution, and a growing unhoused population in need of city services. 

Residents here are hopeful the changes that have occurred in the past week will become permanent.

Meanwhile, someone launched a website titled Carlina From the Block, documenting what has happened since the deadly fight last Sunday ... and calling out the District 2 City Councilmember for not taking more action on 14th Street over the past seven years. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• NYPD light tower arrives on a cleaned-up SE corner of 14th Street and 1st Avenue 

• Why 787 Coffee decided to close its 14th Street outpost (June 2023) 

• Residents voice concerns about quality-of-life issues on 14th Street and 1st Avenue (February 2018)

NYPD light tower arrives on a cleaned-up SE corner of 14th Street and 1st Avenue

Top photo via Pinch 

An NYPD floodlight tower now sits outside the Immaculate Conception Church on 14th Street at First Avenue... a long-troubled stretch of the East Village. [Updated: There's a second tower outside the L stop closer to Avenue A.]

This arrival comes after a triple stabbing that left a 38-year-old man dead this past Sunday just before 6 p.m. Witnesses said the stabbing took place in the street and sidewalk in the area between Trader Joe's and the Wingstop. (Fox 5 has images of the deadly fight here.) The fight started on 13th Street just east of First Avenue before escalating a block over, witnesses have said.

Police arrested a suspect, 30-year-old Alejandro Piedra, who was later charged with murder with depraved indifference and attempted murder with depraved indifference, according to the NYPD and media accounts. Police said Piedra allegedly killed 38-year-old Clemson Cockfield and injured his wife, 52-year-old Jennifer Cockfield, as well as another man, 32-year-old Jonathan Lopez. 

During a police briefing on Tuesday, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said all three victims sell second-hand items along 14th Street. 

Per the Daily News: 

Lopez left his wife and items to go to the bathroom and when he returned, Piedra was trying to pocket some of the goods, the chief said. When confronted, Piedra pulled a knife and stabbed Lopez in the head and chest. Other vendors, including Cockfield and his wife, spotted the stabbing and came to Lopez's aid. 

As the brawl intensified, a vendor came up behind Piedra and broke a lamp over his head before running off. Cockfield picked up the remnants of the lamp and started to swing at Piedra, screaming, “You stabbed my friend! You stabbed my friend!” according to Kenny. Jennifer Cockfield then got involved, throwing both punches and her shoes at Piedra.

The fight died down and Piedra walked away before allegedly coming back a short time later with a knife in hand. 

Piedra, who's due back in court tomorrow, was reportedly charged in 2018 with assaulting two women with umbrellas. The case was sent to mental health court, which Piedra completed in 2021, per the News. 

Meanwhile, residents have noted that this block has been cleaner this week than it has been in several years. These photos are from yesterday morning.

City Councilmember Keith Powers, whose district starts across 14th Street at Stuy Town, sent an email to his constituents noting. Multiple EVG readers shared the email, which included: 

Thank you for writing to me about 14th Street and the awful attacks that took place on Sunday. I have attached a copy of my statement from Sunday evening, which once again calls for immediate intervention from the NYPD and other agencies on 14th Street. We have been working on this since Sunday, so I wanted to give you an update. 

One of the challenges in dealing with the situation on 14th Street has been that despite our efforts to make progress, all it takes are a few bad actors to return to the location to undo that progress. That is why I am again calling for consistent and sustained resources on the ground until the conditions on 14th Street are back to normal.

I wanted to share a few updates on the situation since Sunday:

● Earlier this week, the NYPD announced that they are stationing a foot patrol on the block to address the issues. As you will see in my statement, this was my top request. As I have stated repeatedly, the need for more resources here is apparent for any of us living in the neighborhood. 

● I am making an updated request of the Archdiocese and Immaculate Church to end the flea market. Myself and other elected officials have made this request in the past but they have not been responsive or cooperative. While I support the church, it’s indisputable that the flea market has created huge problems in the neighborhood. 

● On Monday, I personally walked the block with small business owners on 14th Street to provide them with my personal information to allow them to contact us on any issue from cleanliness to illicit behavior. 

● The Sanitation Department confirmed to me directly today that they will begin new joint operations with the NYPD and the Department of Homeless Services. My office will stay in close contact to ensure that the efforts here are maintained and properly targeted. 

● I am also coordinating with my colleagues in the city and state who represent this area to set up a walkthrough of the site with all relevant agencies. 

We hope this will help demonstrate and reinforce the need for immediate and sustained action here. On the larger scale, there are a number of proposals in the City Council that would exacerbate the situation on 14th Street by restricting the ability of city agencies to conduct enforcement against illegal vendors. I am not supportive of these measures and I have discussed the way that they would negatively impact our neighborhood with my colleagues. 

As the City Council finalizes this year's budget, I am advocating for more resources for the 13th Precinct — which covers the Stuyvesant Town portion of the block (the area of 14th Street that’s in my district). I have always been proud of my good working relationship with the 13th Precinct and hope to continue coordinating with them to make our neighborhood safer.

Now people are stealing Invader's mosaics in the East Village and elsewhere

Art and plaque theft season continues in the East Village. (See here and here.) 

In recent weeks, two men have been removing Invader's mosaic tile art from around walls in NYC. 

The French street artist addressed it in an Instagram post on Monday:

For the past few weeks, some guys in New York have been destroying my work by trying to rip it off the walls, probably to resell it. Shame on them! Street art belongs to the street, and in my case, once ripped from the walls, it is nothing more than broken, unsigned tiles that you could find in any tile store. They will never be authenticated. 

Buyers should think twice of what they buy, not only are they being duped but they are also depriving other people of enjoying free art on the street. 

He followed up yesterday with a photo of a theft someone took, showing two men removing a classic invader above the signage at Ralph's Famous Italian Ices on the NW corner of Avenue A and Ninth Street...

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Invader (@invaderwashere)

We asked the folks at Ralph's about it. Unfortunately, they didn't see it happening, as the theft occurred after store hours. 

As Invader noted, the mosaics likely have little resale value. Plus, when he installed these, he reportedly used larger, thinner tiles that would chip apart upon contact with a tool. 

An array of mosaics arrived in NYC and the East Village, some in collaboration with the LISA Project, in 2015. A few were immediately vandalized, though there are still several around if you know where to look.

[Updated] A look at 14th Street this morning after the triple stabbing and homicide yesterday

Updated 4 p.m.

The suspect, 30-year-old Alejandro Piedra of Brooklyn, has been charged with one count of second-degree murder — depraved indifference and two counts of second-degree attempted murder — depraved indifference, according to the NYPD and media reports.

-----

This morning, the NYPD Crime Scene Unit and various media vans remain on the scene along 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. (Previously.) 

Just before 6 p.m. yesterday, a fight broke out between several people on the block. In the end, police say, a 38-year-old man was stabbed in the neck and later died. A 51-year-old woman was knifed in the leg and taken to a hospital in critical condition, while a 32-year-old man was stabbed in the back and hospitalized. The two hospitalized victims are expected to survive, according to published reports. 

A 30-year-old man is in police custody. His relationship with the stabbing victims isn't clear. 

An employee at the cheap-slice pizzeria at 418 E. 14th St. told the Daily News that she saw a man in a cape and another waving a piece of wood start fighting outside the shop. 

"I was just doing my job and I saw a man with a 2-by-4 and a man with a cape and a knife. I was like, 'This is like Looney Tunes.'" 

Longtime EVG reader Notorious shared these photos from this long-troubled stretch of the East Village. 

A few residents told us they were shocked to see pools of dried blood and rubber gloves from the first responders on the sidewalk this morning ...

City Councilmember Keith Powers, whose district starts on the north side of 14th Street in Stuy Town, issued this statement yesterday, calling 14th Street "out of control."

Statement on today’s attacks on 14th Street. pic.twitter.com/EFgucCe2WK

— Keith Powers (@KeithPowersNYC) June 24, 2024

Updated 11 a.m.:

District 2 City Councilmember Carlina Rivera has released a statement...

Our community faces serious challenges related to homelessness + mental health. I remain committed to working with agencies and community-based orgs to ensure we're connecting people to services and investing in programs that improve wellbeing, quality of life, and public safety. pic.twitter.com/XfSaVqLRXd

— NYC Council Member Carlina Rivera (@CMCarlinaRivera) June 24, 2024

And from Assemblymember Harvey Epstein...

My statement regarding the violence on 14th Street: pic.twitter.com/GhS7WqXdZz

— Harvey Epstein (@HarveyforNY) June 24, 2024

[Updated] Reports of multiple people stabbed on 14th Street between Avenue A and 1st Avenue; 1 fatality

Updated 9 p.m.

One of the stabbing victims, a 38-year-old man, has died, per PIX11. 

Another update here.

Updated 6/24

The suspect, 30-year-old Alejandro Piedra of Brooklyn, has been charged with one count of second-degree murder — depraved indifference and two counts of second-degree attempted murder — depraved indifference, according to the NYPD and media reports.

-----

There are reports that three to four people were stabbed late this afternoon on 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

Per Fox 5: 

When officers arrived on the scene, they found one man who had been stabbed in the neck, a woman who had been stabbed in the back, and a man who had been stabbed in the leg. 

All three were taken to Bellevue Hospital. The man stabbed in the neck, and the woman stabbed in the back are both in critical condition. 

The man who was stabbed in the leg is reportedly in stable condition. A man was taken into custody at the scene, and police say a sharp cutting object was also recovered. 

Photos via @UrbanMyth show blood on the sidewalk just west of Trader Joe's, where the various vendors sell items of dubious quality...

There's a lot of conflicting information at the moment, such as the relationship between the victims. We'll update you when more details have been verified.

With drug use/sales and general quality-of-life issues, locals have complained about this relatively lawless stretch of the East Village for years with a tepid response from the city. 

In January, a caretaker at Immaculate Conception Church on 14th Street near First Avenue was slashed in the neck with a razor blade after trying to stop a man from urinating between cars. 

Updated:

Multiple residents have pointed out crime scene tape on 13th Street just east of 13th Street. One resident witnessed three people fighting here, before taking off running toward First Avenue and 14th Street.

[Updated] NYPD releases images of suspect in Astor Place slashing Thursday evening

Updated 6/9

Police have arrested a 35-year-old homeless man, identified as Steven Johnson, in connection with the slashing, the Daily News reports

Updated 6/10

According to the Post, Johnson hit a deli worker on St. Mark's Place in the head with a chain after he was asked to leave the store for blocking the entrance, per ADA Robert Wirtz. This happened the day before the slashing on Astor Place. 

-----

The NYPD has released images of the suspect they are searching for in connection with the random slashing on Astor Place early Thursday evening.

Police said a 30-year-old man was slashed with an unknown object in the back of the neck. According to published reports, the victim is in stable condition at Bellevue.

The attack happened just before 5:30 p.m. on the busy plaza that houses the Cube and the food and beverage kiosk. Passersby said nothing precipitated the slashing between the suspect and the victim. 

The suspect, who police described as 6 feet tall with a medium build, was last seen heading toward St. Mark's Place. He was wearing a dark-hooded sweatshirt, camouflage pants and black boots at the time of the attack. 

Anyone with information that could help the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit tips online. All calls are confidential.

Updated: Man slashed in unprovoked attack on Astor Place

Top photo via the Citizen app 

2nd photo via an EVG reader

Updated 6/9

Police have arrested a 35-year-old homeless in connection with the slashing, the Daily News reports

-----

A man in his 20s was slashed in an unprovoked attack early last evening on Astor Place, according to police sources and published reports. 

The attack happened just before 5:30 p.m. on the busy plaza that houses the Cube and the food and beverage kiosk. Passersby said nothing precipitated the slashing between the suspect and the victim. 

"Right before, nothing. Yeah, no altercation. Just exploded out of nowhere," witness Michael Picardi told ABC 7.

The suspect, dressed in dark clothes and camouflage pants, was seen leaving the plaza and heading eastbound toward St. Mark's Place. The Daily News reported a witness took a photo of the suspect and shared it with investigators. 

According to reports, the victim, who was slashed in the back of the neck and shoulder, is in stable condition at Bellevue. 

Updated 6/8 

The NYPD released these images of the suspect...

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online. All calls are strictly confidential.

After 25 Years on Avenue A, Juicy Lucy will move following vandal attack

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

After 25 years at 85 Avenue A, René Henricks is ready to pack up and move Juicy Lucy. 

According to Henricks, on Tuesday morning around 11, a man carrying a shovel and another tool walked up to the juice and coffee shop, smashed its front window, and menaced the counterperson before continuing north on Avenue A toward Tompkins Square Park. 

Henricks shared an image from the surveillance video...

... as well as a low-resolution video of the attack...

 

Henricks (pictured below) told me in an interview yesterday that "that's it, the last straw," and she's relocating her business from here between Fifth Street and Sixth Street in the days ahead.

Tuesday's incident aside, she has noticed an uptick in unhinged behavior and a general menacing undercurrent in the area since the pandemic. 

She has pleaded with the landlord to install a gate to protect the area where people camp out in front of Takahachi and DROM next to her storefront but to no avail. Henricks mentioned a fatal overdose in the nook a few months ago. She also said that she has to clean up needles and personal belongings daily.

The unnamed employee of two years working during the attack said that the man "seemed angry with the world and frustrated by the world" and noted that neither she nor Henricks had seen him before. He didn't say anything to her during the incident. 

"I'm angry too! It's my responsibility to keep my staff safe, the landlord's responsibility to keep the building safe, and the Mayor and the city's responsibility to keep us all safe," Henricks said. "We have a good business, a quiet business, a family business."

I contacted the 9th Precinct, which confirmed the report and said that the detective's squad was investigating the matter. The perpetrator is, at present, unknown. The charge listed on the police report is felony criminal mischief. 

Henricks, a longtime East Village resident, said she loves the neighborhood and plans to relocate nearby. The Juicy Lucy kiosk on First Avenue and First Street will remain open with extended hours.

Police searching for suspect in unprovoked daytime stabbing on 7th Street on April 9

Top photo via an EVG reader on April 9

The NYPD is looking for a suspect they say stabbed a 66-year-old man in the back in an unprovoked attack on April 9 outside 150 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Police say the stabbing occurred just before 11 a.m. 

The victim, who sustained a cut to his back, was taken by EMTs to NYC Health + Hospital/Bellevue and is in stable condition, per 1010 WINS. (CBS New York has a report here.) 

-- Updated 7 p.m. --

ABC 7 has an interview with the man who was stabbed, Arnaldo Mendinueta.

"Mendinueta said he has been in and out of prison, working with his parole officer to get his life back on track, and wonders if the suspect is someone from his past, trying to settle a score."

--

The NYPD released an image of the suspect last night...

🚨WANTED-ROBBERY: On 4/9/24 at approx. 10:52AM, at 150 E 7th St @NYPD9PCT Manhattan. The suspect stabbed a 66-yr-old male victim in the back, unprovoked. Any info call us at 800-577-TIPS or anonymously post a tip on our website https://t.co/TRPPY5zHV2 Reward UP to $3,500 pic.twitter.com/DFE2W4HsBy

— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) April 22, 2024

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online. All calls are strictly confidential. 

NYPD searching for hockey-stick-wielding suspect who whacked woman in the leg on 6th Street

Police are looking for a man they say struck a woman in the leg with a hockey stick in an unprovoked attack on an East Village street.

According to the NYPD, a 26-year-old woman was walking on Sixth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue around 10:30 p.m. on April 9 when the suspect hit her in the back of her thigh.

WANTED-ASSAULT: On 4/9/24 @NYPD9PCT a female victim was walking in front of 433 East 6 Street when she was approached by an unknown individual who struck her in the leg with a hockey stick.
Any info call us at 800-577-TIPS Reward up to $3,500 pic.twitter.com/hsOleIF5cu

— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) April 18, 2024

The Post interviewed the victim, Amber Nguyen, who said she was walking with a group of friends when the assault occurred. The man did not say anything before the attack. 

After the hit, she and her friends reportedly followed the man, who was still carrying the hockey stick, for several blocks before he stopped and turned to the group saying, "I’m going to fuck you up!" 

The group retreated into a restaurant and the suspect fled. 

EMTs treated Nguyen, who was left with a bruise, at the scene. 

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online. All calls are strictly confidential. 

D.A. Bragg announces indictment of suspect in 2 March shootings In Tompkins Square Park

Photos from March 21 by Stacie Joy 

Manhattan D.A. Bragg yesterday announced the indictment of a suspect for two shootings in Tompkins Square Park last month. 

According to the D.A.'s office, the accused, 38-year-old Waldemar Alverio, faces multiple charges, including three counts of An Attempt to Commit the Crime of Murder in the Second Degree and two counts of Assault in the First Degree. 

On March 16 at 12:45 p.m., two men allegedly chased, punched and kicked Alverio. As they ran off, Alverio unzipped his bag and pulled out a gun, firing at them five times, per court documents. 

Alverio struck one of the two men in the buttocks, fracturing his pelvis and lodging a bullet in his hip. Alverio also shot a bystander, a 53-year-old tourist, fracturing her right hip, which had to be surgically replaced. Per the D.A.'s office, "she will require months of physical therapy as she learns how to walk again." 

Five days later, on March 21, Alverio allegedly returned to Tompkins Square Park just after noon, approached a group in the park, and shot at them five times. 

While Alverio did not strike anyone on that day, one bullet smashed through a window into a bedroom in an apartment building across Seventh Street, and another bullet smashed through a window and lodged in a stairwell in a second building on Seventh Street. 

"Our parks should be a place where New Yorkers and tourists can relax without fearing for their safety," Bragg said in a statement. "Combatting gun violence remains my top priority, and my Office will hold those who commit these serious acts of violence accountable. I hope the victims continue to heal from their wounds." 

On March 26, officers from the 7th Precinct, who recognized Alverio from a wanted flyer, arrested him on Delancey Street. 

The charges against Alverio:

• An Attempt to Commit the Crime of Murder in the Second Degree, a class B felony, three counts 

• Assault in the First Degree, a class B felony, two counts 

• An Attempt to Commit the Crime of Assault in the First Degree, a class C felony, one count 

• Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts 

Yesterday, in the New York Supreme Criminal Court, Judge Laura A. Ward ordered Alverio, who pleaded not guilty, held without bail. According to public records, his next court date is June 24.

Today in awkwardly phrased crime alerts on the Citizen app

This aftenoon on Third and The Bowery, per Citizen.

NYPD: Suspect arrested in connection with the 2 recent shootings in Tompkins Square Park

Photo from March 21 by Stacie Joy 

Reporting by Stacie Joy 

A 38-year-old man is in custody this afternoon in connection with shootings in Tompkins Square Park on March 16 and March 22, police sources say. 

According to the NYPD, the suspect, identified as Waldemar Alverio, was arrested on Delancey Street by officials at the 7th Precinct. 

The shootings were said to be the result of an ongoing beef between Alverio and another man, sources said.

Following a scuffle in the Park on March 16, Alverio allegedly fired several shots, striking two innocent bystanders. (Neither victim suffered life-threatening wounds.)

This past Thursday, police said Alverio returned to the Park where he fired 5-7 times without striking anyone. One bullet penetrated a window above Niagara on Seventh Street at Avenue A.

No word yet on the charges against Alverio. 

Since the shootings, the NYPD has added foot patrols to Tompkins Square Park.

By now, you should have seen your 9th precinct officers patrolling on foot in and around Tompkins square park. They will be addressing crimes and quality of life issues. Please, be rest assured that we will continue to do our very best to keep this legendary park safe!! pic.twitter.com/D3YXAnd5CB

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) March 25, 2024

Same gunman suspected in shooting today in Tompkins Square Park, police say

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Updated 3/26: Police made an arrest in the shooting.

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No injuries were reported after a gunman opened fire early this afternoon near the chess tables at the 7th and A entrance to Tompkins Square Park, police said

NYPD sources, who were not authorized to speak on the record, said there were five to seven shots fired, with a bullet penetrating a window above Niagara across the street.

Police said the suspect, described as a Black male wearing a ski mask and dark clothing, was the same shooter who fired shots that struck two innocent bystanders this past Saturday. "It's a beef," per a police source.

The suspect reportedly fled on a Citi Bike.   

"We're not going to stop until we get him," a police official told us. 

The official said that they were "confident in the direction this investigation is going. The detectives here are world-class and won't rest until the job's completed." 

"We already had increased patrol at the park, including when the shooting happened," the official said.

2 East Village residents 'shaken and scared' after assault inside their building

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Two longtime East Village residents are recovering from a beating they suffered inside their building by a group of men who said they were soliciting business for an energy company. 

On Tuesday, March 5, at around 2 p.m., Wayne Rada (pictured above), co-founder of the LISA Project, said he buzzed in two people claiming to be from the "electric company" who came to his fifth-floor apartment to get him to sign up for Brown's Energy Services, an alternative energy supplier based on Staten Island. 

Rada and his husband, LISA Project cofounder Rey Rosa, escorted the two workers to the elevator to show them the first-floor office where they could leave sales material. 

The elevator stopped one floor down, and Rada and Rosa saw four to five more employees who said they were representing the same company.

Rada remarked that the group looked "more like a package theft ring," and Rosa took out his smartphone to photograph the men. At that point, the group allegedly pounced on Rada and Rosa, pushing them into the stairwell while punching and kicking the two. Rada described it as "gleeful rage."

Rosa was able to dial 911 on speakerphone and escape the men's clutches. 

Rada, treated at Bellevue, suffered an orbital fracture of the left ocular bone, a concussion, extensive bruising, and four broken teeth, as well as the loss of a molar. Rosa has strangulation bruises.

Both said they were severely shaken and having a difficult time recovering from the incident. 

Police sources, who were not authorized to speak on the record, confirmed that four men were arrested, and two others have outstanding warrants in connection with this assault. It's not immediately clear if the alleged suspects were actually in the building to pitch renewable energy services or if they were carrying bogus documents.

The suspects left behind photocopied documents, including an ID badge (we blurred the person's name) with Brown's Energy on it ...

During a phone call last Tuesday, Michael Palmese, the owner of Brown's Energy, expressed his shock and horror about the assaults and said that he was not aware of them.

"Unequivocally, we don't have any agents who work for us," he said. "We are a supply company and have only four in-office employees."

Palmese said they will hire third-party marketing companies for in-person pitching, telemarketing, and sales at concerts, sporting events, and other venues. He said he'd get back to us with information about any third-party vendors but had done so by the time of this post. He also did not respond to follow-up calls.

Back in his East Village building last week, Rada discussed the assault ...

... and pointed out where there were still blood droplets on the stairwell floor and walls where the suspects slammed his head onto the concrete...

"This is all too, too much ... happening inside my building. It's surreal and makes it impossible to sleep," Rada said. "[The attack] repeats over and over in our heads. We are so shaken up and scared."