A fruit vendor in the Bronx, New York City, was brutally beaten to death with a baseball bat in an unprovoked attack, leaving a family devastated. Leslie Sanchez, a 56-year-old father of three, was targeted on the evening of September 12, 2024, while working near East Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse. Sanchez had been selling fruits and vegetables at this location for five years, having built the business from scratch.
The suspects, identified as Romel Jarrett, 37, and Terrence Downes, 44, allegedly attempted to rob Sanchez before launching the deadly assault. When Sanchez resisted, they reportedly wrestled him to the ground and struck him multiple times, focusing the blows on his head with a metal baseball bat.
According to law enforcement officials, Sanchez had no opportunity to defend himself. He was quickly transported to St. Barnabas Hospital in critical condition, but despite medical efforts, he died from his injuries two days later on September 14, 2024.
Jarrett and Downes were arrested just before Sanchez’s death and initially charged with attempted murder and first-degree assault. These charges have since been upgraded to murder, with the two suspects expected to face an indictment on October 15, 2024. Both men have extensive criminal histories. Jarrett has a record that includes a third-degree assault charge last month and a 2022 arrest for petit larceny. Downes, on the other hand, has faced more serious charges, including an attempted murder charge from 2002 in Brooklyn, New York City.
A witness at the scene observed the two men engaged in a brief dispute with Sanchez before the situation intensified into the attack. Police have characterized the assault as both heartless and seemingly without provocation. The brutality of the attack was so extreme that, according to an investigative source, Sanchez’s face was severely disfigured by the time he arrived at the hospital.
Sanchez is survived by his grieving family, including his wife, Maciel Vasquez, and their three children. The youngest, an infant son, is still too young to understand the loss. Vasquez, devastated by the tragedy, has urged authorities and the governor to ensure justice is served for her family. She also spoke about the emotional impact the murder has had on their children, mentioning how they have been connecting with their father through his photos. She expressed the deep harm the incident has caused her and her children.
Sanchez’s community also mourns the loss, remembering him as a generous and kind individual. Family friend Autumn Pearson, who had known him for many years, described him as someone who embodied the spirit of helping others, always cheerful and willing to lend a hand. A memorial was set up at his former residence, featuring a sign honoring him as “Poppy Street Vendor Sanchez.”
As the investigation progresses, the community continues to struggle with the senseless nature of the violence. Sanchez’s family and friends hold on to memories of him as a hardworking, peaceful man whose life was cut short.
