Bronx bodega worker brutally hit with hammer in random attack: NYPD

THE BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) – The NYPD is looking for two people who brutally hit a female bodega worker with a hammer in an unprovoked attack on Saturday.

Oralia Abad, a 41-year-old mother of three, was assaulted at the A&D Deli Grocery on East 188th Street in the Bronx. She received 20 stitches and has undergone five CT scans and one MRI.

The two people accused of attacking Abad were shoplifting, according to the NYPD. PIX11 News learned that the duo went to the store two days earlier, demanding their money back for a hookah they purchased.

Members of the United Bodegas of America were outside of St. Barnabas Hospital Monday evening where Abad remains hospitalized.

"She's in a lot of pain," Fernando Mateo, a spokesperson for United Bodegas of America, told PIX11 News.

Bodega owners and workers are once again calling for the state to invest in security.

"These incidents could’ve been prevented. There are panic buttons," Mateo said. "You also need bullet-proof, better quality camera. All these things will create a safe haven."

Panic buttons cost around $2,000-$3,000, and none of the 30,000 bodegas in New York City have them, according to Mateo.

"We don’t need the money tomorrow, we need the money today," Mateo said.

"The issue of safety, this is an alarm they have been sounding for a very long time, so it is really important that we listen," New York City Councilmember Oswald Feliz told PIX11 News.

He agreed that bodegas need financial assistance to deter crime and is hopeful the new city budget will help.

"We are hoping to be able to bring in the city at least $10-15 million for small business specifically for bodega owners," Feliz said.

"She came to this bodega four months ago thinking it would be a safer place," Mateo said of Abad.

PIX11 News reached out to Gov. Kathy Hochul's office about funds to protect bodegas.