Norwood neighbors of 35-year-old young husband and father, Nathaniel “Nate” Rivers, were still processing his sudden and tragic passing on July 21, just hours after a horrific, fatal stabbing ended his life as he sat in his car, sharing a pizza with his wife in the midst of a summer thunderstorm. His murder is one of 11 to have taken place in the 52nd Precinct so far this year, a jump of 450 percent in the precinct’s murder tally, compared to the same period last year (2).

 

Just under two weeks later, on Aug. 2, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell and Mayor Eric Adams were pressing ahead with the ongoing implementation of the mayor’s blueprint to end gun violence launched in late January and a hallmark of the mayor’s electoral campaign. One aspect of the plan includes strengthening bonds between police and the communities they serve. On Tuesday, Adams joined, among others, The Bronx’s 44th precinct, serving the Grand Concourse, Bronx Terminal Market and Yankee Stadium, to mark the NYPD’s collective 39th “National Night Out,” annual celebration.

 

As reported, Rivers died at after police responded to a 911 call regarding an aided man on Thursday, July 21, at around 1.10 p.m. at East 205th Street and Decatur Avenue. “Upon arrival, officers discovered a 35-year-old male with a stab wound to the chest,” a police spokesperson said. “EMS responded and transported the victim to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.”

At around 8.30 p.m. the same day, police confirmed that Franklin Mesa, 19, also of Decatur Avenue in Norwood, who was reportedly known to Rivers, was arrested on charges of murder, manslaughter, and criminal possession of a weapon.

 

Speaking in Spanish, a female resident who spoke to Norwood News on condition of anonymity shortly after the incident, said she didn’t see the attack happen but said her “neighbors were all talking about it.” Asked if those she spoke to had actually witnessed it, she said some had and that they recounted to her how it allegedly unfolded.

 

She said she was told, “They [the couple] were eating in the car. See the pizza box……she was eating pizza there with her husband. He tapped on the window, the young guy, [the assailant] and when he rolled down the window, he put a knife in his chest. That’s what we know. That’s what the neighbors said.”

 

As reported, a pizza box could be seen on the dashboard of the cordoned off, dark-colored car located on one end of Decatur Avenue as NYPD police and detectives were seen in two groups on separate sections of the street, some interviewing residents and seemingly collecting evidence. The same resident, referring to the residential building behind her, continued, “I was with his [Rivers’] wife, who is my neighbor, and who lives here with her husband when they [police/emergency services] came, and then a friend of his wife.”

 

She added, “The guy who killed him supposedly lives up the street where the police are.” One group of detectives was seen outside 3224 Decatur Avenue, with one police official guarding the front entrance to the building at a certain point. Asked if she knew the victim’s wife well, she said, “We know each other from being out here [on the stoop].”

 

We asked the resident if it was the neighbors who had raised the alarm. She replied, “I imagine, yes, because when I came down, it seems they were already taking him [Rivers] away [to St. Barnabas hospital]. There was a lot of rain, and they were taking him away. That’s why there’s no blood because it was raining and the water washed it away.”

 

National Night Out is an annual campaign to strengthen the relationship between communities and police.

It's happening all night long across the five boroughs and bringing New Yorkers together. pic.twitter.com/53VZ6xe70T

— City of New York (@nycgov) August 2, 2022

 

Asked if the attack had not occurred inside the car, she said, “Yes, but he gave him time to get out once he was stabbed. He opened the door and got out.” She later said she imagined his wife also called for help because she was with Rivers when he was attacked. The New York Post reported that according to police, Rivers’ wife attempted to fight off her husband’s attacker with a pry bar which was seen on the sidewalk of the cordoned off crime scene.

 

We asked the resident if she knew if the attacker had fled the scene quickly afterwards. She said, “Yes, maybe he stopped by his building. The police have not yet emerged from it. The detectives are still there and we don’t know anything more.”

 

Asked if she had known Rivers, the resident said, “We know him, yes, from the building. He was a very good neighbor. He was always playing with the kids there, always, every afternoon, playing there with his son and with the other kids from the neighborhood….very good, very good.” She added that he used to play basketball with them.

 

The same female resident said Rivers had one son. Asked if his son was in the car at the time of the attack, she said no, and that he reportedly did not yet know what had happened his father. She said she understood he was with a friend. We asked if Rivers’ wife had been hurt and the resident said, “Her? No, she was sitting on the other side [of the car] behind where the pizza box is. The victim was on this side [sidewalk side].

 

Asked if she knew if Rivers had recognized his attacker, the resident said they apparently knew each other. “The wife recognized him from once before.

 

A second female resident who also spoke to us upon condition of anonymity was asked how she felt about the situation. Speaking in Spanish, she said, “We were surprised. We are always neighbors here; we don’t see this type of problem. At least in this area, it’s peaceful.” Asked if it was the first time something like this had happened in the neighborhood, she said, “Yes, I’m living here for 10 years, and I never saw something like this, so violent…..that [inaudible] killed another person like that, never…..in the afternoon.”

 

She continued, “And moreover, I knew him because he was always out playing with the kids. It’s sad and something that has affected everyone because I went downstairs, and I didn’t yet go back up to my house. I’m here for about four hours because I can’t yet believe what has happened. It’s sad.”

 

Further up the street, one young man, who declined to be interviewed by Norwood News, was seen in tears, and was being comforted by another person. Asked if she was aware if there had been beef between the perpetrator and the victim, the second female resident said, “No, no, no. I don’t know. From that point of view.. nothing. I only know that he [the victim] was very calm, and was always here outside. I know his wife, his son.”

 

We asked the same female resident if she knew what Rivers had worked at. She replied, “I don’t know. Maybe in construction? Asked if she knew what his wife worked at, she said, “I don’t know.” The resident added that their son was around 8 or 9 years old.

 

We later spoke with two other non Spanish-speaking women from the community and asked if they felt safe, generally, in light of what had occurred. Replying on condition of anonymity, one of the two said, “All the New York, we are not safe, After the COVID, the crime is too much,” She added, “Before ok….sometimes, but not our neighbors.”

 

Asked if they had ever heard or seen of any other trouble in the immediate neighborhood and what changes, if any, they would like to see put in place to improve the situation, one of the two said, “No, before it was safe, but not now.” We asked if they felt safe or if they would like to see more police presence on the streets. One of the women said, “Police don’t come when people call.”

 

She went on to say that two or three days prior, later adding “on Tuesday,” in Bronx River Park near the 52^nd Precinct, she heard, but did not see, that there were teenagers fighting at around 4 or 5 o’clock in the afternoon. “When the police came, I was back here [home]. Who[ever] did the crime, he leave. The victim left as well. Only other people were left,” she said.

 

A third female resident who was sitting outside her home further up the street said she did not see the incident or its aftermath. She also spoke on condition of anonymity, telling us, “I feel bad for their mothers that they have to go through that. It’s very, very hard because his mother is a mother.” Asked if she felt unsafe in the area, the resident said, “It’s a shame it happened…too close. In fact, we were in the car with my other daughter and she said, ‘Mom! Decatur Avenue!’ She had the TV on on her phone. I don’t know if anyone was here when it happened.”

 

Another fourth female resident, who was in the company of the third female resident and who also spoke on condition of anonymity, told us, “I was not there myself. I just came out and the people said, “Oh the cops [are here] and I am going back because my father always tell us, ‘If you see anything, go inside because you may be the one to get shot,’ but I feel very safe around this neighborhood.” Her neighbor agreed.

 

Asked if it was the first time something like this had happened on the block, they both said it was, to their knowledge. The third female resident added, “Yes, even robberies, you don’t hear of too much; it’s very quiet.” Both women said it was mostly families who lived on the block. The third female resident added, “We’re here a long time.” Asked if they knew the victim, the third female resident said, “No, I don’t even know what the kid looked like.”

 

A male resident we spoke to said he had no idea what happened. “I just checked the mailbox,” he said. “I always come out just for a breath of fresh air basically, and that’s all I know. Yeah, I’ve no idea. I’m sorry.”

 

Speaking in Spanish, another male resident who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said of the incident, “I don’t know much. I don’t know who he is either. I don’t know anything. I passed by earlier and I was asking people what happened, and heard that someone had been stabbed.” The resident said he, himself, lived in a nearby building in the area.

 

Asked if he felt concerned for his safety in the neighborhood, he said, “Nobody is really safe anywhere, neither in their house nor anywhere. Once you get home from work, it’s best to stay inside and not go out.” Asked if it was the first time, to his knowledge, that something like this had happened on the block, he said, “Well, there’s always something happening in different places in The Bronx.”

 

A fifth local female resident, who also lived close to the crime scene and who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said she had been working inside her home when the incident unfolded. “I did hear some screaming, but I usually hear that once in a blue moon so I ignored it, ’cause I was working,” she said. “At the same time, it was raining, pouring rain, so when I came back out, I saw all the police and the action that was going on and I did get terrified.”

 

She added, “I saw the police trying real hard to revive him. I saw him from here [her home] over there and I saw them pumping on the ground, when I really looked. I saw the body over there against the [inaudible] right near the [inaudible] and they tried their best to do what they could but..”

 

The resident added, “It was pouring and thunder so it was hard for me to see a lot of stuff. I couldn’t see because [..] all the commotions you know. It was hard, but it’s sad you know? I’m hoping he’s ok. I don’t know if he’s going to make it or not.” Asked where the victim’s wife was when police were attending to the victim, she said, “Well, she was there. I heard her screaming on top of his body. I don’t know where she was. I mean I saw her there.”

 

We asked the resident if she had a security camera. She replied, “Yes,” adding that the police had taken the footage. Asked how she felt about the incident, she said, “I am so hurt. I’m scared. It’s so close to home. It’s sad.” We asked the resident if she knew the victim. She said, “Well, he’s a neighbor. He lives right there. I don’t know him, personally. I see him with his son and his wife, but I don’t know who he is, personally. A lot of people here, I don’t know, actually.”

 

When asked if she knew the assailant, the resident replied, “No, no, I don’t know anything about that. I’m a little scared. It’s surprising to me you know. This is usually a quiet place but sometimes, people get a little rowdy, like at parties and open the pumps, and the kids play in the pumps.” She added, “It’s shocking. I hope he’s ok. I pray and hope that he’s ok.”

 

Asked if she lived on the block a long time, the resident replied, “Yeah.” We asked her if it was the first time something like this had happened on the block. She said, “In my place, yeah.” Asked if she felt safe generally in the neighborhood, the woman replied, “I’m always safe. I mean cameras are something that we have to put up. It’s not something that we don’t feel safe about. It’s just to keep us secure. That’s all.” Summing up her feelings about Rivers’ passing, the resident concluded, “I am so sad… he’s a young kid too. I have a son of his age.”

 

On hearing of Rivers’ passing, more neighbors later began to post messages of shock on social media. One user wrote, “Damn, I’m in disbelief. R.I.P Nate,” while another wrote, “S.I.P. My condolences to his Family n friends.” Yet another resident wrote, “Rest in Peace Nate. Such a great guy will def be missed. My thoughts and prayers to Lydia, his son n his family,” while another added, “He was well liked, but his building has been the [site] of problems over the past few years. May he rest in peace.”

 

More tributes followed, including, “Nate, was a good guy. Very humble and didn’t bother anyone. Sad to see a good soul leave so soon.” Another person wrote, “So sad. I feel so bad for him and his family. I think I recognize him from the area may he .,” and another wrote simply, “So sad. May he SIP.” 

 

Although residents said the street was mostly calm, another murder had previously taken place on the same block. As reported, taxi dispatcher, Michael Lorge, 42, lived in the same building as Mesa. Coincidentally, Lorge had also been behind the wheel of his car, across the street from his home at 3228 Decatur Avenue, when he was shot two times in the head in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2009. Police exhausted all leads in the investigation. On Monday, July 25, the NYPD confirmed that Lorge’s case remained unsolved.

 

Though not on the same Norwood block, 25-year-old college student and father of twins, Kennedy Brown, was also fatally shot in the head in the early hours of Saturday morning, Sept. 24, 2011, in front of an apartment building on Decatur Avenue, off East 197th Street in nearby Bedford Park. There were no immediate arrests. Norwood News followed up with the NYPD on the status of the investigation and was informed on Aug. 3, that “there are no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing.”

 

There was also the murder of Gary Rodriguez, 46, of 3285 Decatur Avenue, also in Norwood, in 2012, who died from a gunshot wound to the chest amid a deadly confrontation that took place outside a three-family home at 3089 Decatur Avenue, between Mosholu Parkway North and East 204th Street, at 2:27 a.m., on Sunday, Dec. 9 that year. “We have no arrests at this time and the investigation is ongoing,” a police spokesperson said at the time. “We don’t know what this was all about. We don’t have any motive or any suspect information.”

 

Norwood News followed up with the NYPD to see if there were any updates on the case. We were informed on Aug. 3 that Alexander Arguedas, 30, of Hull Avenue in the Norwood section of The Bronx was arrested and charged with intentional murder on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. We are following up on the status of the case with the Bronx District Attorney’s office.

 

Meanwhile, a candlelit, floral memorial has been erected on the Decatur Avenue sidewalk site where Rivers’ life was taken. Another male resident of the avenue told Norwood News on Aug. 2, that Rivers had been playing basketball with local kids using a mobile basketball hoop  located on Decatur on the day before he was killed. We were later informed he had purchased the hoop with his own money for the kids.

 

He said Rivers had asked him for his help opening the top part of a fire hydrant located behind the basketball hoop as he said Rivers knew the resident had some plumbing experience and he wanted to create a gentle shower spray for the kids. “If I had told him he would have been dead the next day, he would never have believed me,” the resident said. “But that is the life; you never know.”

A person arrested and charged with a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

 

Anyone with any information in relation to Michael Lorge’s murder is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 577-TIPS. All calls remain confidential.

 

A person arrested and charged with a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

 

*David Greene contributed to this story.  

 

Editor’s Note: In one section of an earlier version of this story, it was reported that the victim died on July 15, rather than July 21. This was a typo and we apologize for this error.