Guttenberg fatal stabbing was over a woman, mayor says

Reidel Carrasco, 22, of West New York, is charged with murder in the fatal stabbing of Antonio Bouza.

GUTTENBERG -- The fatal stabbing of a man in Guttenberg on Friday night was over a girl, the mayor of West New York and a friend of the victim's family said.

Meanwhile, the suspect in the stabbing is due in state Superior Court in Jersey City Wednesday morning for a hearing to determine whether he will remain in custody pending resolution of the case, as the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office has requested.

The suspect, Reidel Carrasco, 22, of West New York, faces murder and weapons charges in the fatal stabbing of 28-year-old Antonio Bouza, also of West New York, according to the criminal complaint. Authorities said police seized the knife used in the stabbing.

The detention hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Wednesday, before Judge Paul DePascale, said Ray Worrall, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office.

Worrall declined to comment on the motive for the stabbing.

The stabbing occurred outside the Rumba Cubana restaurant on Boulevard East in Guttenberg, at about 9:45 p.m., on Friday night. Bouza was pronounced dead 50 minutes later at Palisade Medical Center in North Bergen.

Authorities said Carrasco turned himself in shortly afterward.

Roberto Rodriguez, a friend of the family who owned the Hair Guild salon in West New York where Bouza's mother used to work, said the suspect and the victim were romantic rivals.

"I know for a fact that it was over a girl," Rodriguez said. "Nobody deserves for his life to end like that."

He said Bouza was an only child and that his mother, Daisy, was devastated.

"No matter how many you have, its always bad," he said. "But when you have only one, it's even worse."

Mayor Felix Roque of West New York said he had also heard that the stabbing was over a girl that both the victim and the suspect were interested in.

"It really bothers me because I made it a priority not only as a mayor but as police commissioner to reduce crime," in West New York, Roque said. "And when one of my constituents gets murdered in another town, it really bothers me."

Roque said he offered to pay for the funeral.

"A woman loses a child, her only child," Roque said. "We're going to be there throughout her grief."

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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