Leonardo Sanchez, 46, was attacked near East 183rd Street and Grand Concourse before the assailants fled in vehicles.
NEW YORK, NY — A 46-year-old man died after he was stabbed during an early-morning dispute with a group of people in the Fordham Heights section of the Bronx, police said.
Officers responding to a 911 call at about 6:48 a.m. Sunday found Leonardo Sanchez with multiple stab wounds near East 183rd Street and Grand Concourse. Emergency workers took him to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police said the violence began as a verbal dispute involving Sanchez and several unidentified people. The disagreement escalated, and Sanchez was stabbed several times, including in the arm. The people involved left the area in multiple vehicles before officers arrived, authorities said.
No arrests had been announced as of Tuesday. Police had not publicly identified any suspects or released a possible motive for the confrontation. Investigators were working to determine what led to the dispute and how many people took part in the attack.
Sanchez’s relatives described him as a devoted family member and called for those responsible to be found. He was the father of two daughters and had five siblings, according to family members who spoke with news organizations after his death.
His sister, Patricia Sanchez, said he had picked her up from Mount Sinai Hospital at about 2 a.m. Sunday after she was discharged. He drove her to her home in Hamilton Heights before leaving. She said she urged him to go home and rest.
Relatives said Sanchez later went to a nightlife establishment in the Bronx. The fatal dispute occurred several hours after he dropped off his sister. Authorities have not confirmed what happened inside the business or whether the disagreement began there.
Video shared publicly appears to show a street confrontation involving several people, some carrying long objects. The footage also appears to show people gathering near a vehicle as the encounter continued. Police have not released a detailed account of the recording or publicly confirmed the identity of everyone shown.
Sanchez was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States as a teenager, his family said. Relatives were planning funeral services in New York and the Dominican Republic.
The investigation remains open, and police had not disclosed whether they had recovered a weapon or identified the vehicles used to leave the scene.
Author note: Last updated July 14, 2026.