A deli worker in Manhattan’s Gramercy neighborhood was arrested Tuesday night after allegedly throwing a knife at an intruder who employees say had become aggressive inside the business.
The clash occurred around 11 p.m. at Heavenly Market on Third Avenue near East 23rd Street, as reported by The New York Post.
Police identified the worker as 34-year-old Mahmoud Bourada. According to law enforcement sources, Bourada ordered another 34-year-old man to leave the store before the confrontation escalated.
Authorities said Bourada threw a knife that cut the intruder on his left hand. The injured man refused medical attention and was uncooperative with officers.
Deli worker in posh NYC nabe arrested for throwing knife at ‘aggressive’ intruder: ‘He was trying to protect the business’ https://t.co/TnErO00hCs pic.twitter.com/owymjitRmo
— New York Post (@nypost) November 27, 2025
Bourada was arrested and charged with first-degree attempted assault and second-degree assault, according to a criminal complaint. He was taken into custody, while the man he reportedly confronted was not arrested.
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The deli’s owner, 24-year-old Ahmed Saleh, said Wednesday that Bourada acted in an effort to protect the business.
Saleh, who owns the store with his father and brothers after the family emigrated from Yemen two decades ago, said Bourada “was just trying to do the right thing.”
“We’re working hard for everything because it’s a family business and nothing was given, so we have to protect that at all costs. We have to protect the business,” Saleh said.
“And that’s what my employee was trying to do. He’s a good man. He was trying to protect the business so that he can have a job.”
Saleh said Bourada called him before the incident turned violent. “He said the guy was being really aggressive, threatening,” Saleh said.
“I told him to hang tough, and I would call the cops. He called me back a minute later and said [the intruder] left.”
When Saleh arrived, Bourada had already been taken to the precinct. Saleh said his employee’s phone was still on the floor inside the store.
“I picked it up and went down to the precinct and tried to give it back to him,” he said. “But they said no. I asked them, ‘Is he going home? He can’t see his child on Thanksgiving? He can’t bring the food home? This isn’t right!’”
Saleh described Bourada as a father supporting his family. “I’ve known him for a few months and he needed a job,” Saleh said. “He needed a job to pay for food for his kids, for medical bills for all sorts of things.”
“So I try to do the right thing – I gave him a job,” he added.
“He’s a very good man. He has a very good heart. He just wants to make a living for his family and go home.”
According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Bourada was released on his own recognizance Wednesday evening despite prosecutors requesting $5,000 cash bail or $15,000 bond.
Hours before Bourada was released, Saleh said one of the deli’s seven employees quit, citing the incident and deteriorating conditions in the neighborhood. Saleh said problems increased after a shelter opened down the block roughly 18 months ago.
“Now I have stress because they’re constantly stealing everyday and they steal everything,” he said.
“Like this whole shelf was emptied out the other day. My employees know – I mean, it’s not going to take too long. We keep losing money and eventually they’re going to lose their jobs. They’re not going to have money to bring home and feed their families.”
“This area was beautiful,” he added.
“[Now] they’re always screaming outside. They’re coming in demanding free stuff, begging for change and if they don’t get what they want, it’s trouble! It’s like we work for them. That’s what the city did – they made it so that we work for them.”
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