A delivery driver saved the life of an Allentown homeowner who was stabbed inside his house Tuesday morning.
Police say an unidentified suspect entered 68-year-old Matilde Malava's home on the 300 block of Bradford Street shortly around 8 a.m. After asking Malava for cigarettes, the suspect stole the man's gold necklace and then repeatedly stabbed him in the abdomen before fleeing the scene.
Malava was on the kitchen floor bleeding when a deliveryman who regularly drops off medication for him arrived at the house. The deliveryman called police and Malava was taken to the hospital where he is in serious condition but expected to survive. He is scheduled for surgery Wednesday.
Malava, also known in his neighborhood as "Ellio," is disabled and his wife passed away two years ago. News of the stabbing spread to his neighbors who are shocked by the incident.
“He got stabbed and nobody heard anything, it’s scary,” said Adele Barnes, one of his neighbors. “It’s really scary. He’s such a nice man and I can’t believe somebody would do that to him.”
Police have not released a description of the suspect. They continue to investigate.
