A teenager has died after he was stabbed and set on fire inside a Bronx apartment building on Wednesday, police said.
Winston Ortiz, an 18-year-old Bronx resident, was found in critical condition on the fifth floor of the building on Woodycrest Avenue in Highbridge at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
Police said that he was stabbed three times, then doused with gasoline and set on fire. Neighbors who witnessed the gruesome scene grabbed buckets of water and put out the flames, according to the Post.
“I thought her apartment was on fire," one woman told the tabloid. "And when I go over there, I saw a guy in flames all over his body.”
Ortiz, who lived a block away from the building, was transferred to Harlem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police have not yet identified a suspect in the case.
Heartbroken family members described Ortiz as a role model to his younger brothers and an active participant in his church. A resident in Ortiz's building told the Times that he was often seen carrying a bible, and "always with his family."
"Winston Ortiz was loved by all who came to know him," his aunt, Victoria Ortiz, wrote on a GoFundMe page. "He was active in his church and a role model for all of his younger brothers and cousins. He was bound for greatness."
She added that he was on his way to meet a friend when he was "brutally murdered by cowards."
UPDATE 2:30 p.m.: Adones Betances, a 22-year-old Bronx resident, was taken into custody and charged with murder and manslaughter in the alleged killing on Thursday afternoon, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed.
Police sources told the Daily News that the suspect was seen on security footage walking into the Highbridge building, followed by the victim. Ortiz was dating the Betance's 15-year-old sister, which may have set him off, the source said.
