No suspects 4 years after bodega owner was killed in community 'he gave back to'

Perched on the corner of Shepard Avenue and Osbourne Terrace in Newark, Yesi Supermarket appears to be a typical corner store in Newark's Weequahic neighborhood.

Customers come in, whether it be for a lottery ticket or a bag of potato chips, and walk in like they're stepping into their own home, greeting employees by name.

"You come in here upset and you leave with a smile. Jose (Rivas) was a big part of that," said Frayni Nunez, Rivas' cousin who works at the store.

Jose Rivas

Four years ago, Rivas, the beloved 26-year-old owner and manager of the supermarket, was abducted and shot near his store, and died on the way to the hospital. His family will remember him this week with a vigil outside the store.

For Nunez, and the rest of Rivas' family who continue to work in the store, the anniversary of his death is especially painful because no one has been charged with his death. According to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, no suspects have been identified.

A $5,000 reward, the standard for such cases, is still being offered by the Newark Police Department for anyone with information about Rivas' death.

"We haven't a rumor, nothing," Rivas' cousin, Margarita Rivas said. "He was killed in the community he loved, that he gave back to."

On Aug. 22, 2014, the day of his murder, Jose Rivas arrived at his store around 7 a.m. to open it, as he did every morning, his family said. As he got out of his yellow Hummer across from the building, a silver truck pulled up and a few men got out and grabbed Rivas, a witness told police.

Police say Jose Rivas was shot, and then dumped onto the street about two blocks from the store.

A good Samaritan found him and called police, but Jose Rivas died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital police said.

"He wasn't a street dude. Didn't cause trouble or anything. He had no enemies," Nunez said. "If you were short and needed food for your family he would say 'OK, pay what you can' or 'come back later.' Why would you do something to a person like that?"

Cameras at the bodega didn't capture images of Jose Rivas' abductors or the vehicle involved in the crime, which marked Newark's 58th killing at the time.

At the crime scene, police found a blood-stained shirt, a shoe and a set of keys in the middle of the street. That may not be enough to solve the crime. Despite advances in forensic analysis, and the growing use of video security cameras, more than four in 10 murders in New Jersey go unsolved, according to an NJ Advance Media examination of a decade's worth of statewide crime reports.

As of Aug. 16, Newark has reached its 44th homicide. One of the most recent killings occurred just a mile from Yesi Supermarket.

Jose Rivas immigrated to Newark from the Dominican Republic with his family when he was 8. The family established roots in the city and bought and managed a number of supermarkets and liquor stores there.

After Jose Rivas graduated from Barringer High School, he saved enough money to buy his own supermarket and get into the family business, his cousins said.

Though he's gone, his family has vowed to never forget their beloved "Flaco" -- Spanish for skinny. In addition to regularly bringing flowers to his grave and send a prayer up every night they hold a vigil every year.

The vigil is held every year on the day of vigil every year outside the supermarket.

This year it'll be on Wednesday.

But a store banner with Jose's face and name placed above the door so that you can't miss it every time you leave Yesi Supermarket  is everyone's daily reminder of who Jose R. "Flaco" Rivas was and that he will never be forgotten.

Taylor Tiamoyo Harris may be reached at tharris@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ladytiamoyo.

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