When Jose Luis Rivera bought Prime Time Sports Bar in North Philadelphia about six years ago, his family was worried. His mother, especially, didn’t like the neighborhood, and she expressed that to him.
“He said everything would be OK and nothing was going to happen,” his younger sister Carmen Agosto said.
But on the night of March 12, 2019, their fears became their reality. Moments after closing his bar, located on the corner of Water and Ontario in Fairhill, Jose was shot and killed by two gunmen. He was 46 years old.
Two of Jose’s friends, who were with him at the time, suffered non life-threatening gunshot wounds.
Police have a person of interest, but no charges have been filed, Carmen said.
“It’s been hard on my mom,” she said. “She doesn’t want to celebrate anything, like Thanksgiving or Christmas. Everything is done for her right now.”
Jose, whom everyone called “Pichy,” was born to Inez Rivera on Feb. 9, 1973 in New York City. He had seven brothers and two sisters. His father preceded him in death.
As an adult, he moved to Puerto Rico, where his family is from, and lived there for about three years. He met the mother of his children there, and they relocated to the mainland. His son is now 13 and his daughter is 9.
Although they were no longer together, he and his children’s mother still lived together in Feltonville. She has taken over the operation of the bar.
During the time he lived in Puerto Rico, Jose ran marathons, but his knees wouldn’t allow him to continue, Carmen said.
He loved baseball and was a Cleveland Indians fan. He was also involved with his son’s youth baseball team and went to his games and practices.
“He was a nice person. He was quiet and serious most of the time,” Carmen said. “He helped everyone he could. He ever said no to anybody.”
With no apparent motive, Jose’s family is left with so many questions.
“It’s so strange how everything happened,” Carmen said. “He didn’t have problems with anybody. We’re just breaking our heads to figure out who and why. He didn’t deserve that.”
A reward of up to $20,000 if available to anyone that comes forward with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for Jose’s murder. Anonymous calls can be submitted by calling the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS.
Date: 2019-03-12
Location: 100 E Ontario St, Philadelphia, PA
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