KILLED BY CO-WORKER
FATAL CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY — PAGE 7
Brandon Almonte’s dreams of becoming an airline pilot died at the end of a knife wielded by a car dealership co-worker.
The 22-year-old Almonte was savagely stabbed to death by a fellow employee at the Riverdale Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram location in the north Bronx, slain in a strange assault where the killer mistook his colleague for a wayward customer, police sources said Tuesday.
Jose Almodovar, 53, was arrested for murder after allegedly plunging a knife into the young man’s neck during the fatal 4:30 p.m. Monday confrontation.
Almonte was employed by the dealership to take photos of cars for display on the company website. After Almonte returned one of the just-photographed vehicles to the lot, a confused Almodovar believed the younger man was a customer walking in a restricted area of the business, police sources said.
The victim’s family said Almodovar, who had worked with the slain man’s mother at the dealership, wasted no time in attacking the younger man as the argument quickly escalated from a harangue to a homicide.
The victim’s three sisters, his mother and other relatives were left reeling Tuesday as they prepared for a funeral. The young man’s sister, Francesca Nunez, 27, recalled Almonte as a devoted sibling and son who deserved a better fate.
“Why would you beef with a 22-year-old man?” she asked about suspect Almodovar. “He is a coward. I understand having a dispute but this doesn’t make sense.”
The murder weapon was recovered at the scene.
Almonte’s dream was to become an airline pilot, with family members recounting how he intended to apply for flight school this summer.
“He said he finally decided to do it,” said his weeping sister, Nichelle. “We weren’t given the opportunity to say goodbye. [Almodovar] took it away from us.”
According to family members, photographer Almonte was bringing cars from the Kingsbridge dealership to Eastchester to take the pictures, and then returning the vehicles to the first lot.
Almodovar became angered after Almonte parked the vehicle in the restricted area, with a confrontation ensuing where the victim identified himself as an employee who typically worked at the other car outlet, cops said.
The mortally wounded Almonte, of Yonkers, staggered outside and collapsed on nearby Corlear Ave. after the stabbing cops said. The victim was taken by medics to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Allen, where he was pronounced dead.
“Brandon was a loving individual,” said the slain man’s brother-in-law Jochi Fabian, 28. “Family was No. 1. His mom was his queen.”
Almodovar, who lives in Morris Heights, the Bronx, was hit Tuesday with murder, manslaughter and weapon possession charges. The suspect was hospitalized with chest pains after his arrest.
“I’m in disbelief,” his son told the Daily News from behind the door of his Bronx apartment. “We don’t know anything. We don’t even know what happened, what was the reason.”
He appeared uninjured at his arraignment in Bronx criminal court, except for a small bandage on his right elbow. He was ordered held without bail Tuesday night.