Arrest Made In Yonkers Movie Theater Stabbing

YONKERS, NY — An arrest was made in the fatal stabbing of a Yonkers movie theater employee early Saturday morning. Yonkers Police Commissioner Charles Gardner said at a press conference Wednesday that Michael Pettiford, 16, of Yonkers, was arrested Tuesday at 3 p.m. and charged with second-degree murder in the death of Daij Asante Thomas.

Thomas, 19, and a Yonkers resident, worked at the Showcase Cinema De Lux in the Ridge Hill mall and was stabbed at 12:44 a.m. Saturday.

Gardner said police detective identified several witnesses and reviewed extensive video surveillance and determined Pettiford allegedly killed Thomas.

Gardner said that the motive has not yet been determined, but “we do know that this was not a random act.”

Pettiford was charged as an adult in Yonkers Criminal Court.

The murder weapon was recovered at the scene, Gardner said.

Photo caption: Yonkers Police Commissioner Charles Gardner at a press conference Wednesday. Photo credit: Screenshot from City of Yonkers Facebook page.