N.J. Man Charged with Pulling Knife at Casino

A New Jersey man was following a woman around the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem early Friday. She considered his attention “uninvited,” according to court records.

She told her son about it.

The man then asked, “Do you want to dance … do you have a problem with me?”

But he didn’t ask the woman. He asked the son – right after pulling out a pocket knife and opening the blade, the records say.

And -- the confrontation was captured on video.

Manuel Robinson Rodriguez, 37, of New Brunswick is accused of “an unprovoked confrontation” with the son while he (the son) sat at a slot machine. The incident occurred about 12:31am.

A criminal complaint filed by Trooper Peter Diangelis of the state police Sands Bethlehem gaming office said video footage of the incident “was consistent” with the son’s account. The video also showed the son getting up from the chair “in an attempt to avoid being struck.”

Rodriguez was charged with possessing instruments of crime, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, disorderly conduct, harassment, and public drunkenness and similar misconduct. The records do not list Rodriguez’s blood-alcohol level.

He was arraigned later Friday by on-duty District Judge Jackie Taschner of Palmer Township and committed to Northampton County Prison after failing to post $50,000 bail.