38-year-old Joel Mangal was arrested by FDNY Fire Marshals for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail into NR Rock Deli in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, the New York Postreports.
Security footage captured the attack, which occurred on Saturday at around 8 a.m. on Nostrand Avenue and Halsey Street. The shocking clip shows a man, who authorities suspect to be Mangal, throwing a Molotov cocktail into the establishment. The man then attempts to throw a second Molotov cocktail into the store but is thwarted by a witness who happened to be on the scene. WABC-TV reports that the arsonist also cut the hand of 23-year-old.
Luckily, no one was seriously wounded in the attack but one person did sustain injuries.
“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 City Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Nigro said, per WPIX. “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.”
Mangal has since been hit with charges of arson, reckless endangerment, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal mischief.
