Slain Jersey City Restaurateur Was 5 Months Pregnant

JERSEY CITY, NJ — A 35-year-old restaurant owner/chef who was found slain inside her Jersey City home on Sunday morning was approximately five months pregnant, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said Monday. That same morning, the man who lived with her was found dead in the Hudson River near Exchange Place.

The pair had owned Nukkad, a relatively new Indian restaurant on the Jersey City waterfront.

The New India Times said Sunday that the pair were husband and wife. It also cited a Facebook entry from eight days ago in which she said she had just reopened the restaurant and encouraged community support.

"While it remains at this time that these deaths are the result of a murder-suicide," Suarez's office said in a release, "the final determination is still pending the complete findings of the Regional Medical Examiner’s Office."

The pregnancy determination was according to the results of an autopsy performed in the last day by the Regional Medical Examiner.

The female victim, local restaurateur and international chef Garima Kothari, had multiple upper-body injuries, Suarez said Monday.

The cause of death of her partner, Man Mohan Mall, 37, of Jersey City, is still pending.

Kothari had launched the small Indian eatery, Nukkad, in September, in the city's busy financial district near the waterfront. She intended to re-create the Indian street food experience, she said at the time.

In an April 15 post on Instagram, she wrote that the restaurant had been closed for two weeks to sanitize and prepare to reopen.

Her page for Nukkad included a post from five days ago saying patrons could order food to be delivered to first responders.

The last post appeared just three days ago. On that post, patrons have since commented, "RIP" and "My condolences to her family."

The deaths were discovered Sunday morning, when the Jersey City Police Department responded to a report of a possible suicide attempt in the Hudson River near Montgomery Street in Jersey City.

When they arrived, police found the man unresponsive in the river near Montgomery Street and Exchange Place.

He was pronounced dead at the scene at about 7:55 a.m.

Police responded to his residence on Christopher Columbus Drive in Jersey City, where they found Kothari.

Recently, numerous advocates for domestic violence victims have expressed concern that people may be "quarantined with their abuser," and have encouraged victims of abuse to get help.

The United Nations recently warned that domestic violence incidents are increasing amid the lockdown.

Experts say that people can't always leave domestic violence situations easily and leaving is the most dangerous time. But there are resources available to help. In New Jersey, victims can call their local police department to get a restraining order. Additionally, the New Jersey Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-572-SAFE (7233). Various resources for sexual assault and women's referrals are also listed here.

In Hudson County, Women Rising provides services. Its phone number is 201-333-5700.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24 hours a day, and can be reached at 800-799-7233 or, for those who can't make a phone call, can be reached via the website. Visitors to the site can communicate by chat.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is reachable at 800-273-8255 or by texting HOME to 741741.

The Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit is investigating this case with assistance from the Jersey City Police Department.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor at 201-915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip on the Hudson County Prosecutor’s official website. All information will be kept confidential.

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