An autistic man was stabbed to death in a tragic misunderstanding on Friday after he moved a backpack belonging to the suspected killer — something his family said was a habit related to his condition.
Tyrone Padilla, 61, was found bleeding to death in the stairwell of his Bronx residence at about 1:30 a.m. after walking his dog, according to police.
Padilla initially left his apartment on Creston Avenue near East Fordham Road at 1:10 a.m. and returned home unharmed 10 minutes later, police said.
Padilla then left his apartment a second time at 1:21 a.m. — but this time he did not return.
According to video footage obtained by police, Padilla was seen being chased northbound on Creston Avenue by an unknown assailant at about 1:24 a.m.
Other video had previously shown the same male, who police identified as a suspect in Padilla’s murder, holding a backpack. But when the suspect was seen on camera chasing Padilla, he no longer had the backpack.
Investigators speculated that Padilla, who family members say suffered from autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder, might have inadvertently picked up the suspect’s backpack.
“It possibly could be that he picked up this person’s backpack by accident, which resulted in a confrontation,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters Tuesday.
The action would fit a pattern of behavior for Padilla, Kenny said.
“From speaking to people in the building and relatives, as part of our victim’s autistic tendencies, he has a habit of picking things up off the ground,” Kenny said.
“At one point we have him on video carrying a chair. He’s known to just pick up trash outside of the building.”
By 1:25 a.m., Padilla was chased into the lobby of his building where he was fatally stabbed in the back and neck. The attack was not caught on camera.
Shortly after the stabbing, first responders received several 911 calls of a male bleeding, police said.
Padilla was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital where he died just before 2 a.m.
Investigators recovered a dagger at the scene, but think it was Padilla’s and not the murder weapon. No backpack was recovered at the scene.
Kenny said investigators have put video images of the suspect through facial recognition technology but it didn’t result in any leads, police said.
The investigation is ongoing.
