NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A New Jersey man was indicted for stalking and fatally suffocating a 23-year-old woman outside a Times Square hotel, prosecutors announced.
Jaheem Warren, 33, was charged with murder in the second degree, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
According to court documents, on Oct. 29, Leslie Torres, a 23-year-old woman, left her building on West 45th Street at around 4:20 a.m. Warren allegedly tried to make conversation with Torres at the corner of Eighth Avenue then began following her for nearly 25 minutes as she walked around Midtown.
At around 4:45 a.m., in front of the Riu Plaza New York Times Square Hotel, located at 305 West 46th Street, Warren allegedly grabbed Torres from behind, threw her onto a pile of plastic garbage bags on the sidewalk, climbed on top of her and held her face down on the plastic bags, smothering her, prosecutors said.
Warren allegedly left the woman face down. At around 5:08 a.m., a passerby found her unconscious and called 911.
Torres was transported to Mount Sinai West where she was found to have no brain activity. After a week on a ventilator in the ICU, she was pronounced dead on Nov. 4.
Warren was arrested on Nov. 1 in New Jersey.
“Jaheem Warren allegedly stalked a young woman for 25 minutes on the streets of Manhattan before he brutally attacked her, throwing her onto a pile of garbage bags and suffocating her,” Bragg said. “This alleged conduct is abhorrent. People deserve to be safe when walking through Manhattan, and my Office will ensure accountability for those who commit horrific acts of violence.”