Anyone who saw anything near this Wickham Avenue location the evening of April 30 is asked to call Middletown police

MIDDLTOWN – With no discussion, the Middletown Common Council Monday night approved spending up to $25,000 of city funds for a reward leading to the capture and conviction of those responsible for the April 30 murder of Robert Kwiatkowski.

The 59-year-old Middletown resident was walking home from work on Wickham Avenue around 9:30 p.m. when he was attacked and stabbed to death.

At the request of Alderman John VanderVoort, a lifelong friend of the victim, the council approved the funding. The vote to appropriate the money was unanimous.

Alderman Miguel Rodrigues is a member of the city’s Board of Estimate, which approved the expenditure prior to the council’s vote.

“We had looked into the City of New York, which offers one,” he said. “It’s nice that the City of Middletown has never had to do this, but it is also nice that there is a state law out there saying municipalities are allowed to give up to $25,000 reward for such a crime as this.”

Police Chief Matthew Byrne said his detectives have been working overtime, conducting interviews in New York City and Orange County, in an effort to catch killer of the father of two teenage children.