Manhattan

Man killed in subway station by neighbor remembered as ‘river of dreams'

NBC Universal, Inc.

The man who was stabbed to death by his neighbor in a Manhattan subway station last week is being remembered as a music lover who had endless love and talent to share.

Tributes poured in over the weekend for Johnny Medina at his Washington Heights home, blocks away from the West 175th Street subway station where he was stabbed multiple times. Authorities say the 40-year-old got in an argument with his alleged attacker, 24-year-old Diego Figueroa-Hepner, before the violence began.

According to Medina's family members and police sources, Medina had recently filed a harassment report against Figueroa-Hepner who lived right across the street from him.

"This person was drawn to Johnny...engaged with him and over months built this obsession with him and posting these conspiracies online and cyberbullying him to the point that Johnny felt like he had to make a report," one of Medina's cousins, Anthony Reyes, said.

Figueroa-Hepner was charged with murder-intention and criminal possession of a weapon, according to an NYPD spokesperson.

Although they are devastated, loved ones remembered Medina as a beacon of light.

"That's what really hurts the most is that he was like a river of dreams and ideas and designs," another cousin Eliana said. "Just that brutal reminder that life is short and you never know when you'll never get a chance to continue pursuing your dreams."

Contact Us