Police on the Upper West Side are working to unravel a murder mystery that saw a man stabbed to death Friday morning inside a longtime friend’s apartment.
According to police sources, 46-year-old Alfred Soto was stabbed to death inside the 6th floor of 65 West 96 Street just after 10:05 a.m. on Nov. 15 after a group of men burst into his friend’s residence.
Sources familiar with the incident told amNewYork Metro that a group of men forced their way into the apartment, claiming they arrived to pick up dogs that were in the care of the apartment owner. However, once inside they found the homeowner’s 19-year-old daughter.
Sources say the teen fled and locked herself in the back bedroom and called her mother, who then called Soto, who lived on the 11th floor for help and ran to her assistance. The young woman then allegedly heard a heated argument that ended in a gunshot being fired, law enforcement sources said.
The group fled out of the apartment and down the building staircase while she discovered Soto face up in the living room with three stab wounds to the body.
EMS rushed him to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital after attempting to perform CPR at the scene where he was pronounced dead, police confirmed.
Sources with immediate knowledge of the ongoing investigation reported that Soto was found with a knife in his pocket that was not believed to have been used in the altercation. A bullet casing was also found on the couch, although the sources could not confirm if anyone was struck by gunfire.
The four to five perpetrators are believed to have fled inside a U-haul van and made their getaway by driving through the Central Park transverse and throwing Soto’s cellphone from the vehicle window.
No arrests have been made and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding the suspect’s whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
