Overview
- Detectives arrested 22-year-old Andrew Tollinche on Friday, two days after a stabbing that killed 17-year-old Jonathan Melo outside a Beach Avenue building in Soundview.
- Investigators say Tollinche, known for provocative TikTok posts, went inside his building to get a knife, returned, and stabbed Melo in the back during a confrontation.
- Tollinche pleaded not guilty at his Friday arraignment to murder, manslaughter, and weapon charges as the case moves forward in Bronx court.
- Public records reported by several outlets show Tollinche had an unsealed 2025 arrest in an unrelated alleged child-rape case, which remains separate from these charges.
- Melo’s mother says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and is seeking justice, in a city seeing a recent run of teen-involved violence even as homicides have declined this year.