Arson 496 Nostrand Ave Brooklyn NY 2021-10-31

Occurred at the Deli Grocery, 496 Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn, NY at 7:55 AM on Sunday, October 31st, 2021 A black male suspect lit a molotov cocktail and threw it inside the deli. As two employees scrambled to safety, the suspect lit another molotov cocktail and lifted it to throw it inside at the moment the employees were trying to get out the door. A hero standing on the street knocked the second molotov cocktail out of the suspects hand, risking his own life in the process. The suspect fled after the second failed attempt. The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Joel Mangal. He was charged with Arson, Assault, Reckless Endangerment, Criminal Possession of a Weapon and Criminal Mischief. He was ordered held on $500,000 cash bail during his arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court Sunday. An employee of the deli indicated that the attack followed a disagreement between Mangal and a regular customer of the deli. The deli managed to repair the damage and was back open for business the following day.