On January 2, 2025, a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service (USPS) was stabbed to death in a Harlem, New York City, deli following a dispute over a customer queue order. This tragic incident marked the city’s third homicide within the first 48 hours of the new year.
The victim, 36-year-old Ray Hodges, was on duty and assigned to the Harlem district of Manhattan at the time of the attack. Police officials reported that he was ordering a sandwich at Joe’s Grocery on 168 Lenox Avenue when he became embroiled in a disagreement with another customer at around 2:40 p.m.
Witness Janet Rich, who was buying coffee at the time, stated that the conflict started when a woman accused Hodges of jumping the line. The argument escalated into a heated quarrel over who was next to order. Despite Rich and another customer’s attempts to mediate and diffuse the situation, neither party was willing to relent.
Another customer on the scene urged Hodges to walk away, reminding him of his stable job. Hodges seemed ready to confront the woman, taking off his coat. Rich tried to defuse the situation by picking up his coat and putting it back on him.
Rich described the woman who initiated the argument as unusually tall, standing around 6 feet 5 inches, and showing signs of being under the influence of drugs, such as frothing at the mouth.
The argument turned violent despite the efforts of other customers and deli workers to calm the situation. The female aggressor, later identified as 24-year-old Jaia Cruz, pulled out a small steak knife and stabbed Hodges multiple times, leaving a bloody trail across the deli’s floors and glass door. Law enforcement sources confirmed that Cruz stabbed Hodges at least three times in the stomach.
Emergency medical services transported Hodges to the nearby Harlem Hospital, where he was declared dead. Cruz was captured at the scene, and the police secured the weapon. She has been charged with second-degree murder and is detained at the 28th Precinct.
“On January 2, 2025, a United States Postal Service letter carrier, assigned to Manhattan, was the victim of a homicide,” a spokesperson for the postal agency stated. “The Postal Inspection Service gives top priority to matters concerning the safety and well-being of employees. We are working closely with the New York State Police Department on this investigation.”
Dr. Iesha Sekou, founder and CEO of Street Corner Resources, an organization dedicated to preventing violence, stayed at the hospital for several hours to comfort Hodges’ family. Sekou explained that her organization is alerted whenever violent incidents result in victims being brought to Harlem Hospital. She also expressed concern about the increasing frequency of these notifications and the heightened state of vigilance required during the holiday season, leading to a sense of fear and lower community morale.
This stabbing incident occurred in the wake of two other homicides within the first 48 hours of 2025. The first took place on Wednesday at around 4:20 a.m. when a 50-year-old man was found dead with fatal slash wounds to his neck at West 137th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard in Harlem. An hour later, Mario Fowler, 46, was fatally shot near an apartment building on East 170th Street in the Claremont Village area of the Bronx. Fowler, who had multiple gunshot wounds to his legs, was declared dead at St. Barnabas Hospital.
The United States Postal Inspection Service is cooperating with the New York City Police Department in the ongoing investigation of Hodges’ murder. A deli employee, who wished to remain anonymous due to the ongoing inquiry, confirmed that security camera footage has been handed over to law enforcement officials.
By December 29, 2024, the NYPD recorded a total of 375 murders for the year, reflecting a 3.8% decline compared to the 390 homicides reported by the same date in 2023.
