Katie Suarez has been declared brain dead after a random stabbing attack on a Brooklyn waterfront path.
Suarez, 28, was jogging near Bay 17th Street and Shore Parkway in Bath Beach just after 8 p.m. Friday when she was stabbed in the neck, police said. Her father discovered her on the promenade when he went searching for her, according to police sources. She was rushed to NYU Langone Hospital in critical condition and declared brain dead Saturday, the sources said.
Neighbors described Suarez as a “family oriented” woman who worked as a teller at a local bank branch. “A good teller and good character, you understand? Looks like a very family oriented woman,” a neighbor explained.
“Very professional, very kind,” another local said of Suarez, adding she had “very good character.”
“I mean, nobody is supposed to have [their] life taken, you know, being bad or good, but she was kind of exceptional to me, the way I interact with her,” one neighbor told The Post Saturday.
The attack on the popular waterfront promenade has left the Bath Beach community reeling. “It’s sad, man, because they’re good neighbors… constantly walking by, you know, they treat people with respect,” a neighbor said of Suarez and her partner.
Another local who had known Suarez for several years described her as “a very soft spoken girl, very nice,” noting it’s “very sad for her.”
Anna Dece, a neighborhood resident, expressed the collective grief gripping the area. “I’m very sad. That’s terrible. I’m sad for everybody,” she said.
“But this is close. It’s too much right now. It’s a mad world,” Dece added.
The seemingly random nature of the assault has intensified fears among locals who use the waterfront path for exercise and recreation. Police have not announced any arrests in the case.