BERGEN BEACH — A former Israeli soldier was fatally stabbed and his brother wounded after they confronted a man blocking their driveway Sunday night, police and neighbors said.
Omari Dahan, 23, arrived at his home on East 73rd Street near Avenue M to find a car blocking his driveway around 11:30 p.m., NYPD Assistant Chief Patrick Conry said.
"He started honking his horn," Conry said. "A male came out of a nearby residence. There was a physical dispute between the two, and he was punched. His 28-year-old brother came out of the house to come to his assistance. He got involved in the dispute also."
Djems Jean-Paul, 41, then whipped out a knife and stabbed Dahan in the chest and his brother in the left arm before fleeing in a gray Volkswagen Jetta, police said.
Dahan was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, while his brother was taken there in stable condition, police said.
Jean-Paul was later apprehended at the airport trying to get on a flight to Haiti, police said.
Djems Jean-Paul was walked out of the 63rd Precinct Monday after being charged with murdering another man over a parking space, Aug. 14, 2017. (DNAinfo/Ben Fractenberg)
After the stabbing, a relative rushed outside to try to stanch the bleeding and keep Dahan awake until an ambulance arrived, one of Dahan's cousins explained.
"I saw a big commotion," added another cousin, Ricky Zawacki, 23. "They were all fighting — people screaming."
Dahan grew up in America, but went to Israel in 2015 to serve in the Israeli Defense Force for two years, relatives added.
"A very, very nice kid. We would talk about movies. This is a shame," Zawacki said.
Dahan returned to Brooklyn to work for his brother, who had started a plumbing company, relatives said.
Detectives interviewed witnesses at the scene and later identified Jean-Paul as a person of interest, Conry said.
"We placed a travel alert on that individual, and we got a call back stating he had booked a flight on JetBlue to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti," he said. "We responded to the airport. Prior to him getting on the flight, we were able to apprehend him."
Jean-Paul was identified in a lineup and was expected to be charged Monday afternoon, Conry said.
He has no prior arrests, the NYPD said.
