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A 24-year-old transgender New Yorker has been indicted on second-degree murder charges in connection with the stabbing death of a United States mail carrier during his lunch break earlier this month, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Jaia Cruz, the 6-foot-4-inch suspect also known as Alvin, allegedly started an argument with 36-year-old postal carrier Ray Hodge III as they stood in line to order lunch sandwiches on Jan. 2.
Cruz allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed Hodge repeatedly in front of horrified customers, fellow postal carriers and staff at the restaurant on Manhattan’s Lenox Avenue, between West 118th and West 119th Streets.
The NYPD has charged Jaia Cruz in the fatal stabbing of a USPS worker inside a Harlem deli. (Peter Gerber)
As the New York case moves forward, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Postal Service’s law enforcement arm, is asking anyone with additional information on the case to call investigators at 1-877-876-2455.
“This alleged broad-daylight stabbing shook the neighborhood, including the deli workers and customers who witnessed the attack,” Bragg said. “My thoughts are with those grieving the loss of Ray Hodge, a postal worker and beloved father of two.”
The NYPD has charged Jaia Cruz in the fatal stabbing of a USPS worker inside a Harlem deli. (Peter Gerber)
The family created a GoFundMe campaign to cover funeral costs.
“Ray touched the lives of everyone he interacted with,” the fundraiser reads. “Ray was a hardworking, honorable and good man whose life epitomized his values and his willingness to help others. Ray touched the lives of so many, and we all are truly blessed to have known and had the opportunity to love him.”