15-year-old girl charged with murder in Queens stabbing that left 17-year-old girl dead
NEW YORK -- A 15-year-old girl has been charged with murder in the stabbing death of a 17-year-old girl in Sunnyside, Queens. She was arraigned on Friday.
The identity of the suspect has not been released. Police say the district attorney will determine if the teenager will be charged as an adult or a juvenile.
17-year-old girl stabbed to death outside Queens subway station
Surveillance video shows two girls in a physical altercation near the subway station at Queens Boulevard and 46th Street around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Police say 17-year-old Sara Rivera was later found on the sidewalk, suffering from a stab wound to the neck. She was taken to Elmhurst Hospital, where she died.
Officers recovered a knife at the scene. The 15-year-old suspect was taken into custody for questioning a short time later.
It's unclear what led up to the attack, but the victim's boyfriend, Jasaiah Ortega, told CBS New York the two girls were classmates and good friends.
"That's the thing that blows everybody's mind is that you seriously call her your friend and you do that to her," Ortega said.
Memorial held for victim in deadly Queens stabbing
Dozens of friends and classmates came together Thursday afternoon for a memorial in front of subway station where the attack happened.
"It just goes to show how quick a life can be taken," one person said. "When I found out that she actually passed away, I was just in shock, and then now, seeing where it happened, you're really heartbroken over it."
"She was, like, mad cool, chill. Everyone said she had like a positive vibe," another person said.
"She was true to herself. She had goals. She was supportive of everybody," Ortega said.
Parent Krystal Valentin says her daughter was friends with Rivera and shares that many of the students are leaning on each other for support.
"My daughter, she's very broken up, very heartbroken. They were friends. They attended the same school," Valentin said. "From a parent's perspective, it's scary, it's sad. She was young."
Rivera's boyfriend of nearly a year is heartbroken.
"She opened love for me, again, I guess," Ortega said. "I realized there are people out here in this world that actually do care about what you're going through and stuff like that, and she was a prime example for that to me ... She's watching over all of us. She knows that we care about her."
Uptick in minors injured in stabbings, slashings, NYPD data shows
This is the second such attack in a week.
Last Thursday, a 17-year-old girl was stabbed to death outside a building on Boynton Avenue in the Soundview section of the Bronx. A 15-year-old girl was charged with her murder.
According to NYPD data, there has been an uptick in minors being stabbed or slashed. The NYPD says there were 467 minors stabbed or slashed in the city in 2023, a 48% increase from the year before. They further say youth arrests for major felonies also jumped in 2023 by 40%.
