Long Island man arrested in stabbing death of high schooler outside NYC axe-throwing bar

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: Police said a 19-year-old Long Island man was arrested Thursday morning, November 23, for allegedly fatally stabbing a New Jersey high school student in the heart after a dispute outside an axe-throwing bar in Lower Manhattan.

Gianluca Bordone is charged with manslaughter and assault in connection with the fatal altercation that occurred at 1.50 am on Thanksgiving morning in front of Live Axe on 96 Lafayette Street in Chinatown, according to authorities.

According to cops and prosecutors, Bordone allegedly stabbed Rocco Rodden, 17, and wounded his 19-year-old brother following a confrontation outside the bar where the youngsters had attended a private party.

Emergency medical services (EMS) took the brothers to Bellevue Hospital following the incident.

Rocco Rodden, a junior at Saint Joseph Regional High School, a private Catholic school in Montvale, New Jersey, died as a result of his injuries at 8.45 am, according to prosecutors.

What led to the fatal altercation?

The tragic brawl broke out after the private party concluded and the group moved the remaining liquor onto the street, where they "continued to drink and socialize," according to according to Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eun Bi Kim.

“During this altercation, the defendant stabbed the 17-year-old in the chest. He then slashed the 19-year-old brother across the torso, causing a deep laceration,” Kim said at the arraignment.

Bordone attempted to flee by approaching a car and “then by approaching a party bus and attempting to talk his way inside,” the prosecutor said.

He eventually got into a cab and met up with four pals who were also involved in the brawl at Bowery and Canal, which is about a third of a mile from where he allegedly unleashed the violence.

Prosecutors claimed cops zeroed in on him there after receiving a description from witnesses and discovered him wearing a blood-splattered vest.

A surveillance camera captured the stabbing.

Kim revealed the autopsy report which showed that Rocco died from a 6-inch stab wound, with the knife penetrating the left ventricle of his heart.

Bordone appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court early Saturday morning wearing a black hoodie with the word "courage" emblazoned across the back.

He whispered "Oh my god" under his breath as the prosecutor informed the judge that Rodden had died.

What was decided in the arraignment?

During the court hearing, Bordone's attorney, Warren Quaid, argued that the incident was "far more complicated" than reported and that the conflict was "clearly a brawl."

Quaid said, “What was not discussed…is the chaos and mayhem that surrounded this entire incident including what my client was subjected to — which again not on surveillance video, not discussed by prospectors – where he was pummeled repeatedly.”

He argued, “This was a chaotic scene.”

The charges are "out of character for this boy," according to Quaid, who lives in Oyster Bay with his father and operates a party planning business.

The defense attorney asked for a reasonable bail, citing Bordone's lack of a criminal history, but the judge denied it.

The judge set his bail at $4 million, which left Bordone dumbfounded.

As they exited the courts, Bordone’s family declined to comment.

Rodden's father described himself as "broken inside" by his son's death.

“I have no words that he was murdered in cold blood.!! Life will never be the same without him,” he wrote on social media.

Rodden’s friends remembered Rodden as a devoted and adventurous companion.

One of his friends wrote on Instagram, “Every time ‘My Way’ would come on the speakers you would talk about how that is the song you want at your funeral, We just never thought it would be this soon.”

“It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of one of our own, Rocco Rodden,” the school shared in a post to Facebook on Friday.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Rocco’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult time.”

Gianluca Bordone’s next court appearance is on Wednesday, November 29, 2023.