Times Square stabbing: Victim's sister says he was on journey to Florida to put his feet in the ocean' when he was fatally attacked | amNewYork

"Catalina Baez said Leonides, who was killed in an attack on May 4, had been traveling across the country; initial reports indicated that he had been homeless at the time of his death. She disputes that account, stating that he was a happy wanderer with one goal in mind. He had a home. He had a couple of homes. He was a free guy, he was a wanderer. He was living his Bob Marley life. He was making his way to Florida, he just wanted to put his feet in the ocean, she said."

"Times Square was supposed to be one stop on her brother's journey, Catalina Baez told amNewYork; it turned out to be his last. New York is the city that never sleeps, and he decided to go to sleep in Times Square and never woke up, Catalina Baez told amNewYork. Baez said her brother loved to go on trips across the country and would make ends meet by doing odd jobs and performing runs for DoorDash."

"Leonides Baez was asleep on West 43rd Street near 7th Avenue around 11:30 p.m. on May 4 when cops say 17-year-old Jayden Sanchez allegedly was following a mess-with-a-crackhead TikTok craze and began harassing him. Things quickly escalated, and Sanchez allegedly stabbed Leonides Baez to death. Sanchez was arrested two days later when he was spotted hopping a turnstile on Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station at about 8 p.m. on May 6. He was found in possession of a scalpel."

"I saw his face, and how young he was; my mouth dropped, she recalled. He is somebody who didn't have structure, who clearly didn't have anybody around to guide him, you know, because for somebody 17-years-old to do something like that, that's crazy. It's a lot, it's really devastating because it's something that you can't just forget about, because it's a homicide, Catalina Baez added."

Leonides Baez was killed on May 4 in Times Square after police said a 17-year-old allegedly harassed him following a TikTok craze. The incident occurred around 11:30 p.m. on West 43rd Street near 7th Avenue, and the situation escalated quickly, ending with Leonides Baez being stabbed to death. His sister, Catalina Baez, disputed early reports that he was homeless, saying he had a home and lived as a wanderer with one goal: reaching Florida to put his feet in the ocean. She said he traveled across the country, made ends meet through odd jobs, and performed DoorDash runs. Police arrested the suspect on May 6 after he was spotted hopping a turnstile on the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station and found with a scalpel.

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