Community gripped by fear after Bronx bodega worker brutally beaten with hammer
FORDHAM, Bronx (WABC) -- Members of a community in the Bronx are demanding action after a bodega worker was hospitalized following a brutal attack over the weekend.
The attack happened Saturday morning on East 188th Street in the Fordham section.
The victim, Auralia, a 41-year-old mother of three, was smashed in the head with a hammer. Aurelia has been hospitalized since.
Eyewitness News reporter Lucy Yang was told a couple with a history of stealing and vandalizing the store, demanded a refund for a $30 hookah.
The victim apparently told them the hookah was so badly damaged, she could not take it back. That's when she was knocked out with the hammer.
"I wouldn't wish that on no one. Very heartbreaking. There's got to be more security," one woman said.
That's exactly what bodega owners want: more security. They say the technology is available for a panic button that not only calls for help, it allows the police to access the store's cameras in real time.
They also told Eyewitness News that Gov. Kathy Hochul has promised to help but so far has not delivered.
"To the governor who offered us $5 million and we have yet to see a dime. We don't need the money tomorrow, we need the money today," said Fernando Mateo, spokesperson for the United Bodegas of America.
Auralia has worked for the same owners for seven years but switched to this store just a few months ago thinking the location would be safer.
Now all the workers here are gripped by fear because there has been no arrest, and the couple could easily come back with even more weapons.
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