A sad story about the violent death of Ismael Kurkculer, a former Algonquin Hotel waiter who was killed in Jersey City on Thursday by someone the police suspect he may have known.

For more than five years Kurkculer, a Turkish national, worked as a waiter at Manhattan's famed upscale, 174-room Algonquin Hotel, on 44th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues. A hotel manager at the Algonquin notified staff of Kurkculer's death on Thursday night.

"Everybody is shocked," said one of Kurkculer's fellow waiters who declined to provide his name.

"He was one of the nicest guys there are," the employee said, standing outside of the century-old hotel yesterday.

The waiter said Kurkculer was "one of the best" waiters at the Algonquin and was known for his politeness toward guests.

"He was so quiet, so professional, always talking nice. For that kind of person to have an enemy, I don't know," he said, shaking his head as his voice trailed off.

DeFazio said a manager at the hotel got a shock when he called Kurkculer's apartment on Thursday to see check on his employee, only to have a county homicide investigator answer the phone.

"The Algonquin manager called (Kurkculer's) apartment Thursday afternoon out of concern because he received a call from a Jersey Journal reporter about the victim," DeFazio said.

Yesterday a hotel representative declined comment, citing company policy.