The Crime That Set the City on Edge
Jason Ayala, 37, a career criminal with a rap sheet spanning two decades, was arrested on January 12, 2025, after a brutal robbery in Manhattan’s East Village. In the early hours at an Avenue D bodega, Ayala allegedly attacked a 61-year-old man and a 51-year-old acquaintance, stealing a cellphone in the process. Despite being charged with two counts of second-degree robbery—a bail-eligible offense—what happened next sent shockwaves through the city.
A twisted Queens educator—nicknamed “Mr. Blunt” for doling out marijuana to his victims—allegedly turned a junior high school girl into his sexual plaything for two sadistic years, using blunts, porn, and threats to silence her cries for help, bombshell court filings reveal.
