Officials in New York City have arrested a man that they say was caught on video throwing a Molotov cocktail into a Brooklyn deli on Saturday.
The New York City Fire Department says that the incident happened Saturday morning just before 8 a.m. local time at a deli located in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.
According to WCBS-TV in New York, the worker at the deli at the time, Mohamed Abdulla, said a disgruntled customer threatened to kill him and burn the store down.
Later, surveillance video shows that a flaming object was thrown into the bodega, causing an explosion that engulfed the store in flames. People in the store had to climb through the flames to get out; one person left the deli with their foot on fire.
Video shows that the suspect tried to throw a second Molotov cocktail, but a Good Samaritan on the street intervened and knocked the flaming device to the ground.
WCBS reports that after exiting the store, Abdulla chased the suspect down the street and detained him until police could arrive. While holding the suspect down, police say the suspect slashed Abdulla on the hand.
Luckily, no one was seriously injured in the incident.
“Fortunately, there was no loss of life here. The investigative work from the Explosives and Arson Task Force comprised of our Fire Marshals, the NYPD, and ATF, led to the timely arrest of this suspect who threatened the safety of our communities by using such a cruel and destructive device,” New York Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro said in a statement. “FDNY will continue to work alongside local, state and federal partners to bring to justice those who use fire as a weapon against New Yorkers.”
According to WPIX-TV in New York, suspect Joel Mangal, 38, faces charges of arson, assault, reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal mischief.