Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. today announced the indictment of JAYDEN SANCHEZ, 17, for allegedly murdering Leonides Baez and stabbing two other individuals in separate incidents in Midtown. SANCHEZ is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with one count of Murder in the Second Degree, three counts of Assault in the First Degree, and one count of Robbery in the Second Degree. [1]
“As alleged, Jayden Sanchez brutally murdered Leonides Baez in the heart of Times Square, abruptly ending his life. Additionally, he allegedly stabbed two others and robbed a newsstand in a spate of violent incidents,” said District Attorney Bragg. “This alleged conduct is abhorrent. My thoughts are with Mr. Baez’s loved ones who are mourning his tragic loss.”
As alleged in court documents and statements made on the record, on April 7, 2026, SANCHEZ and three others went into a souvenir shop on West 40th Street and started picking up merchandise and throwing it around the store. When they returned later that day, two workers asked them to leave. SANCHEZ took out a knife and stabbed one of the workers in the hand.
SANCHEZ and three others also allegedly repeatedly returned to a Midtown newsstand to steal merchandise and money. At approximately 3:00 a.m. on May 3, 2026, SANCHEZ threatened a worker at the newsstand saying that he has a knife and would cut him, then reached into the newsstand and took a cashbox containing several hundred dollars.
That evening, at approximately 6:00 p.m., SANCHEZ and his cohorts returned and threw a bottle at the glass window of the newsstand, breaking it.
Later that night, at approximately 10:00 p.m., the owner of the newsstand and several workers came to fix the broken glass, and SANCHEZ returned while they were there. The workers tried to hold SANCHEZ while they called for the police. SANCHEZ broke free and stabbed one of the workers in the chest, puncturing his lung and causing a hemopneumothorax.
As further alleged, on May 4, 2026, Leonides Baez was sleeping on a ledge in a breezeway between West 42nd Street and West 43rd Street. SANCHEZ and two others came up to him and began to harass him. One of them grabbed Mr. Baez’s bag and threw it on his head, waking him up. SANCHEZ and the others walked around the corner and each of them urinated in a cup. SANCHEZ then gestured to Baez, who was still lying on the ledge, to approach them.
When Baez got up and jogged towards them, SANCHEZ’S friend hit Beaz with the cup full of urine, causing Mr. Baez to flee back towards his belongings on the ledge. SANCHEZ pulled out an 8-inch blade from his vest, followed Mr. Baez, grabbed him by the arm, turned him, and plunged the knife directly into his heart. SANCHEZ and his friends ran away.
Mr. Baez pleaded with a passersby for help, but lost consciousness quickly before EMS or police arrived. He died shortly thereafter.
Assistant D.A. Dafna Yoran (Trial Bureau 70) is handling the prosecution of this case with Assistant D.A. Lauren Breen (Trial Bureau 70) under the supervision of Executive Assistant D.A. Lisa DelPizzo (Chief of the Trial Division), with the support of Senior Major Case Analyst Anstasia Trico and Senior Investigative Analyst Dalia Zuckermann, as well as Trial preparation assistant Sophia Filipof.
D.A. Bragg thanked the NYPD, particularly Detective Danielle Venuto of the Manhattan South Homicide Squad, Officer Carlos Arias, Detective John Tuohy, and Detective Sean Gilbert of the Midtown South Precinct Detective Squad and Detective Thomas Donovan and Detective Michael DiPalma of the Midtown North Precinct Detective Squad.
Defendant Information:
JAYDEN SANCHEZ
Brooklyn, NY
Charged:
- Murder in the Second Degree, a class A-I felony, one count
- Assault in the First Degree, a class B felony, three counts
- Robbery in the Second Degree, a class C felony, one count
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[1] The charge contained in the indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.