Teenagers Arrested After Nadia Vitel’s Body Discovered In A Duffel Bag In NYC Apartment

by Rafael Pena

March 25, 2024

The body of Nadia Vitel was found in a duffel bag in a NYC apartment leading to the arrest of two teenagers.

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The body of 52-year-old Nadia Vitel was found in a duffel bag in a New York City residence, leading to the arrest of two teenagers who were unlawfully staying in the apartment. The victim went to visit her late mother’s apartment only to find it occupied by the teenagers, according to NBC News.

Vitel’s body was uncovered on March 14 during a wellness check at the Kips Bay residence, with the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office confirming blunt force trauma as the cause of death. Nineteen-year-old Halley Tejada and a 16-year-old, whose identity remains protected due to age, were found allegedly unlawfully residing in the apartment. 

Vitel’s late mother’s apartment, located at 206 East 31st Street, had been unoccupied for several months. Vitel visited the apartment early last week, prompting concern from her family when they did not hear from her for several days, according to Newsweek.

According to CBS News, superintendent Jean Pompee allowed worried family members access to the apartment on the 19th floor of the building on 31st Street on March 14, where they discovered her body concealed in a duffel bag in the front closet. They had become alarmed after being unable to reach her.

“The male pointed to the closet; he said he believed that there’s a body in the bag,” Pompee said. “And all of her clothes were down, so you really couldn’t see the bag. You could see partially, a little bit.” 

In a significant development, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny revealed on Thursday that the investigation into Nadia Vitel’s death has expanded to encompass events in Pennsylvania following a vehicular crash involving the two suspects observed leaving the 19th-floor apartment where Vitel’s body was discovered, according to NBC New York.

“The apartment itself had been vacant for three to four months prior. We believe that some squatters took the apartment over, and this woman came home to get this apartment set up and walked in on the squatters that were there,” Kenny stated, underscoring the initial complexities of the case.