A man was fatally stabbed in front of his wife by a 19-year-old in an unprovoked attack in New York City, according to police.
The attack occurred at 1:15 p.m. on Thursday at East 205 Street and Decatur Avenue in Norwood, in the Bronx. Nathaniel Rivers, 35, was sitting in a parked car with his wife when Franklin Mesa, 19, allegedly approached the two.
Rivers and Mesa briefly exchanged words before, out of nowhere, the 19-year-old reached into the vehicle and allegedly stabbed the man in the torso. The victim’s wife grabbed a prybar, exited the vehicle, and started hitting Mesa, but he ran off.
Rivers was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital but did not survive his injuries.
Mesa was arrested at his house nearby on Friday and was charged with murder, manslaughter, and criminal possession of a weapon, WABC reported.
An anonymous family member of the suspect told the New York Post that Mesa has schizophrenia and had been taking medication for mental health problems since 2015. Police also noted the suspect’s history of mental health issues.
The suspect had been arrested in 2019 for a misdemeanor assault, according to police.
The 19-year-old was known to be a “neighborhood menace,” the Post reported. He was also known to Rivers, per WABC.
Rivers was beloved by family members and neighbors within the Norwood area of the Bronx, where the attack occurred.
“He loved my mom, he loved all of us,” Rivers’ stepdaughter, Aaisha Shah, told WABC. “He loved my niece. He loved her so much. He got taken away from them. He got taken away from his family.”
“He was loved by the public and the community,” a neighbor told the Post. “He took care of all the kids in the neighborhood. He set this basketball hoop so they have a safe haven to play. He was here watching them, all day long.”
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
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