Two men from New Jersey were injured after an angry customer entered the sandwich shop where they work. He allegedly accused them of making food that made him sick years ago and proceeded to attack them with a knife.
According to a report by CBS New York, the incident occurred at Baladna Bakery in Paterson on July 31. Both the owner and his brother were hurt in the attack, and the establishment remains closed. They have run the bakery together for over ten years.
Police reportedly described the suspect as a “knife-wielding customer.” The customer allegedly said he was sold a sandwich with eggplant inside it four years ago. He claimed he had an allergy to eggplant, and the meal made him sick. A friend of the brothers, Moneer Simrin, told the outlet that they offered the suspect food or money to get him to leave. The attacker then allegedly started swearing, drew a knife, and slashed at them. “He (the suspect) started hitting them,” Simrin explained. “He hit one guy in the chest, and the other brother he hit in the hands. So that’s crazy,” he added.
The Knife-Wielding Customer Escaped After The Attack
CBS New York reveals that emergency services transported the brothers to St Joseph’s Medical Center with “deep stab wounds.” The suspect remains at large and police are appealing for witnesses.
Andre Sayegh, the Paterson Mayor, told reporters, “This type of thing does not happen often in that area.” He tried to assure local businesses that the Paterson Police Department is “fully focused” on tracking down the suspect. According to ABC 7, Sayegh added, “We are actually asking for the cooperation of merchants in the area, and we are getting it. So we are fairly confident that we’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Per Pix 11, the stabbing occurred at around 8 am. The outlet reveals that the suspect claimed he ordered an egg mayonnaise sandwich four years ago, but got eggplant instead. A worker at a nearby store reportedly heard screaming. “What happened yesterday surprised everyone because they are very nice people,” he said.