Bronx bodega owner critical after being stabbed multiple times in the chest
The 44-year-old victim was taken to Lincoln Hospital in critical condition
CONCOURSE VILLAGE, Bronx (WABC) -- A 44-year-old beloved bodega owner is in critical condition after he was stabbed multiple times while walking to his car in the Bronx Thursday night.
Maged Alsayidi, who has owned 69 Deli for decades, was walking from the store to his car down the block when he was stabbed at the intersection of East 169th Street and College Avenue in the Concourse Village section at around 11:15 p.m.
Surveillance video shows the moments before the viscous stabbing. A man seen in a tank top carrying a carton of eggs is the bodega owner about to be attacked.
The video shows another man following him, ducking and weaving behind parked cars. Seconds after they exit the frame, the suspect stabs the bodega owner 10 times in his chest.
Alsayidi's family members, as well as the United Bodegas of America say the person who stabbed him was a customer.
The victim's cousin says it started several hours earlier at the bodega, when the owner stopped the suspect from stealing.
"He confronted him here and they got into an altercation and he let him go. Because there's no point," Alsayidi's cousin said.
Footage shows the suspect wearing a black shirt and black pants inside the bodega, hours before he came back to stab the owner as he was walking to his car.
Alsayidi was taken to Lincoln Hospital in critical condition, but Alsayidi's cousin says he is now in stable condition.
Half a dozen neighbors told Eyewitness News that they recognize the suspect. They say he's always wearing a full ski mask. Bodega workers say he's a regular customer, and someone who they have had issues with before.
The United Bodegas of America is now calling for more action to end assaults against their bodega owners.
"This must stop, we need the $5 million the governor offered to protect these bodegas, we can't sit and wait any longer," said Radahmes Rodriguez, President of the UBA. "The UBA wants to take the lead on this effort and can't wait any longer."
The UAB says they are offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.
"We don't deserve to be attacked, looted, robbed and then when you call 911 the cops come, they make an arrest, they're out on the streets hours later, doing it again and laughing in our faces," said UAB spokesperson Fernando Matteo.
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