FORDHAM, the Bronx (PIX11) ---- A man is accused of fatally stabbing a 61-year-old autistic man in the lobby of a Bronx apartment building last week, police said Thursday.
Gregory Hightower, 31, was arrested and charged with murder on Wednesday in connection to the killing of Tyron Padilla on Jan.5, according to the NYPD.
Hightower allegedly stabbed Padilla in the neck and armpit after following the victim to his building at 2415 Creston Ave. in Fordham at around 1:20 a.m., officials said. Surveillance video showed the suspect chasing the victim to the building lobby, police said.
Padilla’s mother, Violeta Castro, said the family found him lying on the steps and watched him take his last breath.
“They are going to catch you, they are going to catch you,” Castro told PIX11 News before police arrested the suspect.
Padilla is autistic and may have accidentally picked up the suspect's backpack before the fatal encounter, according to police. The backpack was never recovered.
“Speaking to people in the building and relatives, as part of his autistic tendencies he picks items up off the ground, and trash. Sometimes causes confrontations due to misunderstanding,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said.
Padilla’s body will be laid to rest in Puerto Rico, according to his family.
Hightower's arraignment was pending, as of Thursday morning, according to court records.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the New York City area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.
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