A 17-year-old boy was busted in the deadly stabbing of a 39-year-old man just off Times Square – and he was caught by eagle-eyed cops who spotted him jumping a subway turnstile while carrying a scalpel in Brooklyn, authorities and sources said Thursday.
The boy – who has not been identified because of his age – was picked up around 8 p.m. Wednesday and also faces a weapon possession rap in the Monday night knifing of Leonides Baez, 39, police said.
Officers were conducting a station inspection when they spotted the teen evading the fare and stopped him, according to law enforcement sources.
They quickly realized he was wanted for the deadly Midtown stabbing two nights earlier, the sources said.
He was also found with a scalpel in his possession, the sources said.
Baez, whose last known address was in Worcester, Massachusetts, was knifed in the torso and back and slashed in the face around 11:30 p.m. in front of Burger & Lobster – Bryant Park on West 43rd Street near Seventh Avenue, authorities said.
The fatal attack also took place steps from the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, now showing Broadway’s “& Juliet,” authorities said.
Police previously said they were looking for a total of three suspects in connection to the murder but the teen in custody is believed to be the person who stabbed Baez.
The violent outburst appeared to stem from a chance encounter between the violent trio and Baez, the sources said.
No other arrests have been made.