Video captures moment New York deliveryman was stabbed to death for his bike

Victim was supporting family in Bangladesh with income from delivering food

Surveillance footage released by New York police captures the moment a Grubhub food deliveryman was stabbed to death by an assailant in a park on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

In the video, Sala Miah, the victim was sitting on a bench when the suspect in the homicide investigation approaches and sits next to him.

Moments later he snatches the deliveryman’s e-bike and a struggle ensues resulting in Mr Miah being slashed across the face and stabbed in the stomach.

He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital but died from his injuries.

The incident happened at 1am on Saturday, shortly after Mr Miah had finished a shift delivering food for Grubhub.

He would often stop at Sara D Roosevelt Park on Hester Street near Chrystie Street for a rest before returning home to a nearby apartment he shares with four roommates.

Mr Miah was working as a deliveryman to send money back to his family in his native Bangladesh – his wife, 20-year-old daughter, and 11-year-old son.

Muhammad Ahsan, his brother-in-law, who lives in Brooklyn, told The Daily News that the family has been left in disbelief at his death.

“They were saying, how’s this happening there, where people think this is the best country in the world,” he said. ”We’re just completely devastated at this time and I just feel bad for his family … I can’t describe right now what they are going through.”

He described his brother-in-law as friendly and hardworking.

Mr Miah’s roommates raised the alarm when he did not return home that night. They tracked his smartphone which was in the possession of the NYPD.

The suspect fled the scene with the e-bike, which Mr Miah had purchased six months ago with money borrowed from a friend.

“We are shocked and saddened by these reports and our hearts go out to the delivery worker and his family,” Grubhub spokesperson Katie Norris said in a statement.

“Nobody should have to experience violence or the theft of their property under any circumstances and we have reached out to the police department to offer our support on their investigation.”

Police are appealing for any information in tracking down the suspect.

There was double the number of homicides in the past week compared to the same week last year, but overall the number of murders has remained steady with 374 in the year up to 10 October – the same as in 2020.

However, murders have increased since a recent low of 289 in 2018 – the lowest number since 1951.

Homicides grew throughout the period from the early 1950s through the ensuing decades, peaking at 2,245 murders in 1990 before falling drastically over the next 30 years.

Nevertheless, the uptick in crime over the past three years has not escaped public attention, and many New Yorkers have been frustrated by what is perceived by some to be a crisis of law and order.

“What is happening in this city is unacceptable and every day it’s getting worse,” Mr Ahsan told The Daily News.

“Every day the crime is growing, growing, growing and I feel like they need to do something,” he said. ”I’ve been living in this city for more than 23 years but the last two to three years, it’s getting worse.”