Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
'He lit up the room': Family mourns fatally stabbed Bronx teen as police charge man
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published May 1, 2026
Modified May 1, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
flavijus via Getty Images
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published May 1, 2026
Modified May 1, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A Bronx man is facing murder, manslaughter and weapons possession charges after police arrested him Thursday for the stabbing death of a teenager in the borough.
Andrew Tollinche, 22, was taken into custody in the same precinct where 17-year-old Jonathan Melo was fatally stabbed on Wednesday afternoon. Police said he lives at the building on Beach Avenue in Soundview where the incident occurred.
NYPD officials said Tollinche and Melo got into a verbal altercation that turned physical, and the 22-year-old stabbed the teen in his back. Melo later died at the hospital. Authorities said they are investigating whether a dispute on social media played a role in the fight.
Melo’s mother, Raquel Melo, said the arrest brought her some relief, but she is grieving her son’s loss and calling for justice. The family lives about a mile from where he was attacked.
“My son Jonathan had nothing to do with this guy, had never talked to him,” Raquel Melo said in a phone interview Friday. “He was literally [in the] wrong place, wrong time.”
The 17-year-old is the latest New York City teen to be killed in an act of violence, according to police reports. A series of recent teen homicides across the five boroughs has raised concerns among various city officials and community members about young people’s safety.
Raquel Melo and her son Jonathan Melo on his 16th birthday.
Courtesy of Raquel Melo
Raquel Melo said detectives told her that her son was passing through the neighborhood on a scooter with his cousin and another friend as Tollinche argued with someone else. When that person got into his car and left, she said, Jonathan Melo somehow became the recipient of Tollinche’s aggression.
“My kid just happened to be the last one on the scooter, and he caught him from the back,” she said.
Tollinche was set to be arraigned Friday and did not yet have an attorney listed in the case.
Jonathan Melo’s life revolved around his family, friends and girlfriend, his mother said. He played basketball, had recently developed a passion for working out at the gym and often took a long time in the family’s bathroom to do his hair, Raquel Melo recalled.
“He just lit up all the room,” she said. “The outpour of support that I’ve been getting for my son and his friends, it just goes to show this is a good kid,”
Jonathan Melo, who went by JJ, is the second of her four children. She said his siblings are devastated by his death, as are the many friends he frequently brought to the family’s home.
Raquel Melo said her son was going to graduate high school this year and was excited to chase his dreams of becoming a successful businessman.
“He wanted to become a real estate agent,” she said. “He was learning about day trading. He had a little notebook, he was watching the videos every day. He had a dream as well to start a clothing line."
“He wanted to do something big with his life,” she added.
This story is based on preliminary information from police and may be updated.
Tagged
bronx
new york city
public safety
soundview
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .