2 suspects, including teen, arrested in connection to New York City murder of Nadia Vitel
A manhunt is over after authorities arrested two reported squatters who were wanted in connection to the brutal murder of a woman in a New York City apartment.
On Friday, March 22, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Fugitive Task Force detained the two suspects, 19-year-old Halley Tejada and a person who was a juvenile at the time of the offense, on the premise of a stolen vehicle that had belonged to the Manhattan, New York murder victim, Nadia Vitel, 52, according to the press release by the organization. Vitel was a resident of Kips Bay, authorities say.
On March 14, the New York Police Department (NYPD) homicide detectives responded to an address on East 31st St. in Manhattan. Police told USA TODAY that just before 4:30 p.m., officers responded to the apartment for a wellness check and found "an unconscious and unresponsive female" in a closet. Arriving paramedics pronounced the woman dead at the scene.
Investigators later identified the suspects as persons of interest in the homicide, USMS said.
Both waived their extradition from York County to Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, where they both will be arraigned on the RSP charges, charges given to those who steal property, and face possible extradition back to New York.
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Suspects were on the run in Nadia Vitel's vehicle, police say
The suspects were involved in a motor vehicle collision on Wednesday, March 13 in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, about 170 miles west of Manhattan. At the time of the incident, the juvenile was driving a stolen car that crashed into another vehicle on Jonestown Road.
The suspects were not detained at the time of the accident because NYPD did not have a warrant out for their arrest. The Lower Paxton Police Department responded to the incident and made contact with the juvenile who was driving the vehicle, Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Phillip Lewis told USA TODAY.
After conducting an investigation marshals discovered that the vehicle that was involved in the crash belonged to Vitel, officials said.
The suspects were then located and arrested on March 22 by U.S. Marshals, Lewis said.
Nadia Vitel's son said she was just moving into the New York City apartment
At her funeral held earlier this week, Vitel's son remembered her as someone who was kind and took care of others. Her son said the move to the New York City apartment was a step to relax and take care of herself, according to an article by CBS News.
"In the last few months, she traveled to Germany, Spain and Miami and had the best time of her life," he said.
Autopsy revealed Nadia Vitel died from blunt force trauma
Officials say an autopsy revealed that Vitel died from blunt force trauma to the head and suffered multiple broken bones and bleeding on the brain.
Police said a preliminary investigation led investigators to identify the two suspects who were wanted in connection to Vitel's slaying.
Officials did not elaborate on what pointed them to the pair.
'A body in the bag'
Jean Pompee, the building's superintendent, told CBS2 she allowed one of Vitel's family members to enter the apartment on March 14 after they couldn't reach her. When they got inside, they found her body in a duffle bag, Pompee said.
"The male pointed to the closet, he said he believed that there's a body in the bag," Pompee told the outlet. "And all of her clothes were down, so you really couldn't see the bag. You could see partially, a little bit."
It was later revealed by CBS News that her son was the one who discovered his mom in the closet.
Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X @forbesfineest.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
