New Jersey
LI man, 19, arrested in stabbing death of NJ high schooler outside NYC axe-throwing bar
A Long Island man was arrested Thursday night for allegedly fatally stabbing a New Jersey high school student during a fight outside of a Lower Manhattan axe-throwing bar, police said.
Gianluca Bordone, 19, faces manslaughter and assault charges over the deadly confrontation around 1:50 a.m. Thanksgiving morning in front of Live Axe at 96 Lafayette St. in Chinatown, cops said.
Bordone, of Oyster Bay, allegedly knifed Rocco Rodden, 17, and his 19-year-old brother during the altercation, according to cops.
The brothers were rushed to Bellevue Hospital by EMS, where the younger one died.
Rodden’s father said he was left “broken inside” by the death of his son.
“I have no words that he was murdered in cold blood.!! Life will never be the same without him,” he wrote on social media.
Other friends mourned Rodden — a junior at Saint Joseph Regional High School, a private Catholic school in Montvale, NJ, — as a loyal and adventurous friend.
“Every time My Way would come on the speakers you would talk about how that is the song you want at your funeral, We just never thought it would be this soon,” one wrote on Instagram.
Rodden played football at his school, which is known to have a powerhouse program.
“It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of one of our own, Rocco Rodden,” the school said in a Friday post to Facebook.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Rocco’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult time.”
Bordone was awaiting arraignment at Manhattan Criminal Court Friday night.
The 19-year-old graduated from Oyster Bay High School last spring, records show.