17-Year-Old Boy Murdered In 'Horrific Tragedy' In East Harlem, DA Says

HARLEM, NY — A 62-year-old man has been indicted on murder charges for the death of a teenager in East Harlem, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said on Thursday.

According to Bragg, a fight broke out between the defendant, Saul Sanchez, and the victim, Carlos Rivas, on Jan. 3 at 6 p.m. inside a restaurant at the corner of East 108 Street and Second Avenue. A 22-year-old friend of the victim was also involved in the fight, Bragg said.

The fight continued into the street, where Sanchez knocked Rivas to the ground and got on top of him, stabbing him once in the chest and once in the stomach, Bragg said.

Then, the victim's friend threw a chair at Sanchez, to try to stop the attack, and Sanchez stabbed the friend once in the arm before fleeing the scene, Bragg said.

Sanchez then fled the scene, only to return about 15 minutes later, at which point he was arrested by police, Bragg said.

“Saul Sanchez’s alleged conduct caused the senseless death of a 17-year-old boy and a horrific tragedy for that boy’s loved ones," Bragg said.

The New York State Supreme Court indicted Sanchez on Thursday with one count of murder in the second degree, one count of attempted assault in the first degree, and one count of assault in the second degree, Bragg said.

"I want to be clear that we have no tolerance for violence on our streets or in our neighborhoods, and will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to hold people accountable when they commit this type of violence," Bragg said.

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