Brooklyn jogger Katie Suarez, 28, dies after stabbing on Shore Parkway path
Katie Suarez, 28, died Monday after being stabbed in the neck while jogging on the Shore Parkway Greenway in Brooklyn. No suspect has been identified.
Brooklyn jogger dies days after random stabbing on waterfront path
Katie Suarez, 28, a Brooklyn College graduate and TD Bank teller, died Monday after being taken off life support following a stabbing attack on the Shore Parkway Greenway promenade, NY Post Metro reports. She had been declared brain dead after the attack, which occurred around 8 p.m. Friday near Bay 17th Street.
Her mother announced the death outside the family's home on Tuesday.
Suarez had finished a shift at a Caesar's Bay Shopping Center branch of TD Bank in Gravesend before meeting her mother in front of a nearby Wendy's at around 6:50 p.m., according to sources. She then set out to jog along the Belt Parkway waterfront path — a routine her father soon joined, as was typical for the family.
Her father called her at 7:56 p.m. to arrange a meeting point. Suarez told him she was about five minutes away. When she did not appear at the agreed spot, he called again. She did not answer.
The parents split up to search for her. Her father found her wounded and bleeding on the path at 8:16 p.m., police said. She had continued running approximately 150 feet after being attacked before collapsing beneath a tree. The father called 911, as did another bystander who was walking the path with his girlfriend.
"The father then begins to walk the path, and unfortunately, he finds her underneath a tree, bleeding heavily from the neck," Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters.
Police have offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Investigators have not yet identified a suspect or established a motive. Kenny described the attack as apparently random.
"Right now, it seems that it's random. Nobody else would have known that she was running there at that particular time, and as of right now, it appears it was a random attack," Kenny said.
Detectives are pursuing multiple theories, including the possibility that someone fishing along the promenade used a bait knife to inflict the wound. Authorities are also seeking walkers, joggers, drivers, and a food truck operator who may have captured security or dashcam footage relevant to the investigation.
The case has drawn comparisons to the 2016 murder of Karina Vetrano, a 30-year-old Queens woman whose body was found by her father after she was killed during a jog in an attack that was also described as random. That perpetrator was convicted and is currently imprisoned.
Neighbors at the family's nearby home, where a memorial has grown, described Suarez as "very professional, very kind" and "family oriented." Her family said she had no known boyfriend or enemies.
"From all indications, this is a person that was very family-orientated, very work-orientated, was a productive, beautiful member of society, and unfortunately, this horrific event happened to her," Kenny said.
Suarez's cousin, Gianluca Frances, 19, called for policy changes in response to the attack. "Hopefully a story like this can encourage public policy handlers to incorporate policemen or officers into the park, or a camera installed," Frances said.
Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-577-TIPS.
Source: NY Post Metro