Family mourns slain NYC postal worker: 'Honorable and good man'

HARLEM, Manhattan (PIX11) – A family is devastated after the life of a U.S. Postal Service worker was tragically cut short in a “senseless act of violence” in New York City last week.

Ray Hodge, a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, was fatally stabbed during a fight at a deli in Manhattan last Thursday, police said. The stabbing happened at Joe’s Grocery at 168 Lenox Ave. in Harlem around 2:30 p.m., according to the NYPD.

The letter carrier was on duty and making his rounds before he popped into the deli, a usual spot for his lunch break.

An employee who was inside the deli at the time of the stabbing said Hodge went to the counter to buy a sandwich. The deli worker said 24-year-old Jaia Cruz was behind Hodge in the store and started arguing over who was in line first.

“He told her, ‘I’m trying to order my sandwich. I was here,’” said the deli worker.

The deli worker said the two kept arguing, and people unsuccessfully tried to intervene.

“I separate them. She came from behind me, and she spit on him,” said the deli worker.

The deli worker said Hodge grabbed a bottle to defend himself.

“She took a knife and stabbed him in the neck and his stomach,” said the deli worker.

Hodge was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Cruz, a Harlem resident, was arrested shortly after the stabbing and was charged with second-degree murder, police said.

Hodge was 36 years old and lived in the Bronx. His family said he was a devoted father of two boys.

“Ray touched the lives of everyone he interacted with. Ray was a hardworking, honorable and good man whose life epitomized his values and his willingness to help others. Ray touched the lives of so many and we all are truly blessed to have known and had the opportunity to love him,” Hodge’s family said in a GoFundMe post.

Hodge’s family started the GoFundMe to raise money for his funeral.

“Any contribution, no matter the amount, will be deeply appreciated and help relieve some of the stress we’re facing during this time of mourning,” Hodge’s family said.