A callous shoplifter brutally stabbed a Bronx gas station employee – leaving him clinging to life – when the worker tried to stop the thief over the weekend, cops said.
The unidentified intruder was trying to steal from the BP station shop on Westchester Square near East Tremont Avenue around 1 a.m. Sunday when the worker, a 25-year-old man, stepped in to stop him, police said.
The enraged man then pulled out a knife and stabbed the employee in his neck, arm and head, authorities said.
He was rushed to Jacobi Medical Center, where he remained in critical condition Monday, cops said.
It’s unclear what merchandise the violent crook managed to pocket before fleeing the scene.
A surveillance video and photo released by the NYPD shows the balding suspect, believed to be about 50 years old and 180 pounds, standing at the counter.
He wore a gray hoodie bearing the words “New York” and the number 35 – as well as black pants and burgundy sneakers.
He had not been caught by late Monday afternoon.
United Bodegas of America is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect – noting that the heinous attack came only 10 days after a 29-year-old mother was stabbed to death during a broad-daylight feud inside a deli in the same borough.
Gwendolyn Guyton was inside Jose Mini Market Inc. on Southern Boulevard near East 149th Street around 3:15 p.m. Oct. 3 when an assailant stormed in, fought with her and then plunged a knife in her neck and torso multiple times, according to cops and witnesses.
Her female killer fled the store on a white bike and has yet to be caught, police said.
Fernando Mateo, spokesman for the bodega workers’ group, condemned the recent attacks, lamenting that “bodegas are under siege, and our communities are suffering.”
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“Ms. Guyton’s death and this recent stabbing are part of a larger crisis, and we must act now to stop this violence,” Mateo said. “Bodegas need to be safe havens for everyone, and we call on elected officials to step up and support our mission to create safer neighborhoods.”
Felony assaults within the NYPD’s 49th Precinct, which covers the area of the gas station attack, have risen by about 16.5% compared to the same period in 2023, according to the latest data. Meanwhile, robberies are down by about 13% in the precinct’s confines.
Anyone with information on the violent crime is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on X @NYPDTips.