Flatbush Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Attempted Murder for Throwing Incendiary Device into Bedford-Stuyvesant Deli

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Friday, July 19, 2024

Flatbush Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Attempted Murder for Throwing Incendiary Device into Bedford-Stuyvesant Deli

Defendant Stabbed Deli Worker in Hand after Running from Scene, Being Chased

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Flatbush man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for throwing a Molotov cocktail into a Bedford-Stuyvesant deli, attempting to throw a second Molotov cocktail and stabbing a deli worker who chased the defendant as he fled the scene.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, "This defendant threw an incendiary device into a deli, leading to an explosion which endangered the lives of two workers. Thankfully, no one was killed or seriously injured. Today's sentence holds him accountable for his actions."

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Joel Mangal, 40, of Brooklyn, New York. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Jane Tully to 14 years in prison and five years' post-release supervision. He pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted murder on June 11, 2024.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on October 30, 2021, at approximately 6:40 a.m., the defendant threatened to kill two employees at a deli located at 496 Nostrand Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant and threatened to burn the building down. He then picked up an apple from the store and threw it in the direction of one employee, breaking a television screen.

Furthermore, at approximately 7:50 a.m., on October 30, 2021, the defendant stood outside of the deli and threw a Molotov cocktail inside the deli, which exploded into a fireball on impact and engulfed the deli counter and caused portions of the cashier counter to go up in flames, forcing two employees to jump through the flames to get to safety. One victim's foot and arm caught fire.

Shortly thereafter, the defendant attempted to throw a second Molotov cocktail into the store, but a passerby knocked it out of his hand. The defendant immediately fled the location, heading for the Nostrand Avenue A/C subway station. The workers chased the defendant into the subway and one of them was stabbed in the hand by the defendant. The worker found a police officer and pointed out the defendant on the subway platform, and he was arrested.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Jessica Wishart of the District Attorney's Blue Zone Trial Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Kin Ng, Bureau Chief.

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