Bodega Stab Suspect Caught, Blue Mercury Store Robbed; Ex-Regis Teacher Pleads Guilty
| 23 Mar 2025 | 01:15
Suspect in Blue Mercury store robbery, 1566 Third Ave., Feb. 11, 2025. (
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East Harlem Bodega Clerk Survives Stabbing, Cops Nab Perp
A brutal attack on an East Harlem bodega clerk on March 19 in the 25th Precinct merits the attention of all East Siders. The frightening incident happened at around 10:40 a.m. that day at the Food Market bodega at 2133 Third Ave. at the corner of East 116th Street.
A wild-eyed man dressed in all blue entered the store, conversed with store clerk Sidi Mohamed, 24, then turned furious.
“He asked for something on the shelf—some candy. He gave me 50 cents,” Mohamed told the New York Post. “I said, ‘Brother, can I get 25 cents more?’ He said, ‘No, no, I’m not giving you 75 cents.’ ”
The man angrily took his money back, shouted, “I’m going to kill you!” and then attacked Mohamed with a screwdriver, stabbing him in the neck. Despite his blood spurting across the bodega floor, Mohamed managed to get outside while 911 was called.
While the suspect fled southbound on Third Avenue, EMS transported Mohamed to Harlem Hospital in stable condition. Amazingly, Mohamed has since returned to work.
Late on Thursday, March 20, police arrested the “undomiciled” suspect, Ari Ortiz, 43, for attempted murder, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Aggressive Shoplifter Robs Third Avenue Blue Mercury Store
An alleged perfume thief entered the Blue Mercury store at 1566 Third Ave. on Feb. 11 at approximately 12:40 p.m.
Surveillance video shows a man enter the store with a brown paper shopping bag in his left hand; he steps toward the display nearest the store’s entrance. The man then begins grabbing various fragrance bottles and hiding them in his jacket.
When a 48-year-old female employee confronted the man about his apparent thievery, the sticky-fingered larcenist raised his arm towardsthe woman in a threatening manner and then fled on foot with around $180 of stolen scents.
No injuries were reported in the incident. The suspect is described as a male in his 50s with a light complexion, last seen wearing a black coat, blue jeans, and white sneakers.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on X @NYPDTips.
Former Regis High Teacher Pleads Guilty, Gets No Jail Time
Matthew Chicas, a former math teacher at Regis High School, who was accused of photographing an 11-year-old in a school restroom in April 2023—a story Straus News reported in detail—pled guilty to one charge of endangering the welfare of a child.
When originally indicted, Chicas faced a stack of child abuse charges to which he pled not guilty.
Because these charges were not bail eligible, Chicas, after pleading not guilty, walked free.
Following his recent guilty plea, Chicas still walks free on conditional release. Provided he completes a rehabilitation program, and stays out of trouble, he’ll not be jailed.