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Read the press release here.

VIDEO: Man Sets Fire to Harlem Deli After Argument With Cashier, Police Say

By  Sybile Penhirin and Gustavo Solis | November 19, 2014 5:45pm 

Saied Deli Fire
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The NYPD

EAST HARLEM — An angry patron poured flammable liquid into the after-hours window of a Harlem deli and then set it ablaze after an argument with a clerk early Monday morning, a video released by the NYPD shows.

The recording shows the suspect, wearing a black hoodie, quarreling with the employee at the counter of Saied Deli at 108 E. 125th St. a little before 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 17.

The man then took most of his change, leaving what appeared to be a quarter on the counter.

Two hours later, about 2 a.m., the suspect returned and was captured on video pouring a liquid from a plastic jug and igniting it into a ball of fire.

The suspect fled east on East 125th Street toward Lexington Avenue, police said.

 The NYPD is looking for a man who set Saied Deli on fire on November 17, 2014.
Saied Deli
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No one was injured by the blaze and Saied Deli employees were able to extinguish the fire, officials said.

The deli, which is run by a family from Yemen, has been closed since the fire, East Harlem neighbors said. Employees from a nearby shop said the fire destroyed most of the store's inventory.

“The front, the counter is burned. All burned," said Sammy M., who works in the pawnshop next door and declined to give his last name for fear of retribution. "Everything in the store is damaged. There is no power."

The suspect, who hangs out in the area, is aggressive and frequently gets into arguments, Sammy M. added.

"I've seen him before. He comes in to buy lotto tickets, to make payments for his phone," Sammy M. said, adding that he had not seen the suspect since the fire.

The owners of the bodega, which has been around for about 10 years, neighbors said, could not be reached for comment.

Police described the suspect as a slim, 6-foot-2 man between 23 and 35 years old. He was last seen last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, tan pants, black sneakers and a black and white Brooklyn Nets knit hat, the NYPD said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting tips to 274637 (CRIMES), then entering TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.