Molotov Cocktail Thrown Into BK Deli Was Part Of Murder Plot: DA

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — A man who hurled a Molotov cocktail into a Bed-Stuy deli earlier this year was trying to burn the store down and kill two employees inside, according to prosecutors.

Joel Mangal, 38, was arraigned Monday on attempted murder, arson and other charges for the October attack, when he threw the incendiary device into the Nostrand Avenue store and then stabbed a worker who chased him away, according to prosecutors.

The 29-count indictment unveiled new details that were not released when Mangal was first arrested, including that he had threatened the store's employees just an hour before the attack, according to the District Attorney.

“Thankfully, this frightening attack did not lead to more serious injuries, but this kind of lawlessness is dangerous and requires an appropriate law enforcement response," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. "We will now seek to bring this defendant to justice and hold him accountable.”

According to prosecutors, Mangal, who is from Flatbush, threatened to burn the deli down and kill two employees from the store around 6:40 a.m. that day, first throwing an apple at the directions of one of the workers and breaking a TV.

An hour later, he came back to the store with a Molotov cocktail, hurling into the deli while the two employees were inside, according to prosecutors and video.

The employees were forced to jump through the flames to get to safety, one of the workers' foot and arm catching on fire in the process, prosecutors said.

Mangal then tried to throw a second Molotov cocktail through the doors but was stopped by a bystander, who knocked the device from his hands onto the sidewalk, video shows.

When Mangal ran away, workers chased him into the Nostrand Avenue subway, where he stabbed one of the employees in the hand, prosecutors said. The employee was able to point out Mangal to a police officer nearby.

Mangal's charges include first-degree attempted murder, first-degree arson, first-degree criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree aggravated harassment and second-degree, according to the DA. He was ordered held on bail of $500,000 cash or $1,000,000 bond and will return to court in January.