MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) — A 17-year-old is charged in the fatal stabbing of a 39-year-old man from Massachusetts in Midtown on Monday night.
The teen was stopped jumping a subway turnstile at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn.
Officers ran his name through the NYPD’s Domain Awareness System, which linked him to the murder, police say.
Authorities say a scalpel was discovered in his possession. He was taken to the precinct, where he reportedly confessed to the killing.
The unidentified minor is charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
Investigators say that the attack happened on West 43rd Street at 11:30 p.m. Monday just steps from the entrance to the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.
Leonides Baez was stabbed in the face and other parts of his body. He was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital.
Investigators said the stabbing stemmed from a verbal dispute between the victim and at least three suspects.
It is unclear if police are still searching for other suspects in connection to the crime.
———-
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts on the go
* Download our connected TV app
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
Copyright © 2026 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.
