'Everybody in the Neighborhood Loved This Man': Dad Is Fatally Stabbed in Front of Wife in Unprovoked Attack

Nathaniel Rivers' wife grabbed a pry bar and allegedly struck the attacker to fight him off

A beloved Bronx resident died on Thursday after he was stabbed while inside his vehicle, according to multiple reports.

At about 1:15 p.m., Nathaniel Rivers, 35, parked his car in the Norwood section of the Bronx when Franklin Mesa, 19, allegedly approached him. New York Police Department officers said words were exchanged between the two men, ABC7 reported.

Mesa allegedly reached through the window of the vehicle and stabbed Rivers in the torso, the station reported. CBS, citing police, reports that the attack was unprovoked.

Rivers' wife, who was sitting in the passenger side of the vehicle, grabbed a pry bar and allegedly hit Mesa in an attempt to "fight him off," police said, according to the New York Post.

Mesa ran away from the scene, but was tracked down soon afterward by police.

Mesa was arrested and charged with a single count of second-degree murder, according to online jail records. He is scheduled to appear in front of a judge on Wednesday. It was unclear whether he obtained an attorney to speak on his behalf.

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Rivers' stepdaughter, Aaisha Shah, told ABC7 that she can't believe he is gone.

"It's annoying. It's frustrating. I'm angry. I don't even know," she told the station. "It's been 24 hours, and it doesn't feel real."

An unidentified neighbor spoke to the station and said Rivers knew everyone in the community.

"Everybody in the neighborhood loved this man," the man told the station. "He's known everywhere. He shared love and support."

Updated by Elaine Aradillas