S© Carol Kugler/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK
(New York, NY) — The urgency to get panic buttons installed in all New York City bodegas, and who should pay for them, is resuming after two deadly incidents this week. The first was in Manhattan Wednesday (April 16, 2025) evening during a deadly brawl and the second incident occurred the next morning at a Bronx bodega.
Fernando Mateo, who heads the United Bodega Workers of America, says a panic button installed behind the counter that connects directly with police would save lives. He’s been pushing for panic buttons for all delis and bodegas since 2018, when 15-year-old Junior Guzman was stabbed to death in a Bronx bodega during a gang attack.
So far, only 50 bodegas have had panic buttons installed in a city where there are at least 25-thousand bodegas.
