A masked arsonist remains at large after hurling a Molotov cocktail into a Bronx deli, leaving a worker with severe burns.
The attack occurred Tuesday around 10:10 p.m. Inside the small storefront shop on West 183rd Street near Jerome Avenue in Fordham Heights, authorities said. The 33-year-old male worker suffered burns to his face and body.
Surveillance footage obtained by The Post shows the moment the shop lights up with flames. At least one shadowy figure stands in the doorway.
The male suspect fled on foot, cops said late Wednesday. Sources believe he may be an acquaintance of the victim.
A man identifying himself as Mizzy, the victim’s cousin, spoke at the scene. He claimed a whole crew of juvenile suspects carried out the attack.
“Look, long story short, some young, young kids, went in – dressed up, skied up, came and threw Molotov cocktails,” Mizzy said.
“That’s some old school s–t to do, but they did that, and that’s what set everything on fire here.”
Mizzy continued, recalling his proximity to the violence.
“I was right here with my friends in front of this shop, last night when it happened,” he said.
“I’ve seen from the moment the cocktail hit the floor and blew up to when they brought my cousin out the store.”
The cousin described the victim’s horrific injuries.
“His skin was peeling off, literally,” Mizzy added. “He was on fire, physically on fire. They had to throw a blanket on him to put him out.”
The victim was transported to Jacobi Medical Center. Fire officials listed him in serious but stable condition.
The blaze triggered a two-alarm response. FDNY crews needed about an hour to extinguish the flames.
Mizzy expressed shock at the brutality.
Mizzy called the arson “outrageous” and “unexpected.”
“He’s been here with the community [for a] very long time,” Mizzy said of his cousin. “Everybody has a lot of love for him. Like, he was famous. Like, he is family.”
The cousin speculated about motive.
He added that he suspected his cousin was not the target of the fiery attack.
The fire spread beyond the deli itself.
A surrounding bakery, fashion shop and laundromat were also affected by the blaze.
Cheo Basquez, a laundromat owner and manager, surveyed the damage.
“We gotta wait for the insurance company,” Basquez said. “Assess, rebuild…they gotta fix the roof and everything. We don’t know…how many months it could take.”
In the viral moment captured on surveillance footage, the shop erupts in flames after the flaming device crashes through. The shadowy figure in the doorway disappears as the fire spreads rapidly through the small space.
The footage, taken from a distance, shows the sudden brightness of the explosion illuminating the street. The victim was inside working when the Molotov cocktail shattered on the floor.
Neighbors and passersby watched as emergency responders rushed to the scene. The cousin stood nearby as firefighters battled the two-alarm blaze for roughly sixty minutes.
The NYPD continues to investigate the arson. No arrests had been made as of late Wednesday.
The victim remains hospitalized at Jacobi Medical Center in serious but stable condition.