Bronx detectives continue to seek the killer who stabbed a man to death during an apparent dispute early on Saturday morning.
Early on Sunday morning, the NYPD released additional details about the homicide as well as images of the suspected killer who took the life of a 32-year-old man near a home on the 400 block of East 153rd Street in Mott Haven, near the Major Deegan Expressway, at about 3:51 a.m. on Feb. 3.
Officers from the 40th Precinct, in responding to a 911 call about an assault, found the victim — Baraquiel Castelan, 32, of East 154th Street in the Bronx — with a stab wound to his neck.
EMS rushed Castelan to Lincoln Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
During a preliminary investigation, police learned that Castelan had become embroiled in an argument with the suspect at the East 153rd Street location. The beef turned bloody, cops said, when the perpetrator pulled out a knife and repeatedly stabbed Castelan in the neck, arm and chest.
Following the assault, law enforcement sources said, the perpetrator fled on foot eastbound along East 153rd Street.
No arrests have been made in the ongoing investigation, police said. It was the first reported murder in the 40th Precinct this year, according to the most recent CompStat report.
Police described the suspect as a man with a light complexion believed to be 25 years of age, who was last seen wearing a long-sleeved shirt with lettering on the sleeve and back.
Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
Updated on Feb. 4 at 10:15 a.m.
