A viral video from New York City’s Knicks championship parade cost a senior JPMorgan Chase executive her job. Angie Báez, 40, was identified after footage circulated online showing her emptying a limited-edition blue-and-orange Knicks-themed trash can onto a Manhattan sidewalk before walking off with the receptacle. Additional clips showed her riding the subway with the stolen bin.
JPMorgan Chase confirmed her dismissal shortly after the video surfaced. “This employee is no longer with the company,” a spokesperson told the New York Post. Sources said the bank looked into the incident once the footage became public and that Báez had attended the parade in a personal capacity.
At the time of the incident, Báez held the title of executive director of community and industry engagement for card and connected commerce at JPMorgan Chase, a role she had been promoted into more than a year earlier, according to her LinkedIn profile.
She had previously served as executive director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Infatuation, a restaurant review website acquired by Chase as part of its push into lifestyle content. Earlier in her career she had held senior DEI roles at Squarespace, Saks Fifth Avenue, Hudson’s Bay, and Saks Off 5th. She also co-founded Same Page Co., described as a queer and BIPOC-owned talent agency focused on increasing representation in media and industry.
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A bio on the Infatuation’s website, which remained live after the incident, described Báez as someone whose “dedication to making a positive impact shines through in every aspect of her work” and called her one of the “brightest voices” in food media.
The New York City Department of Sanitation did not hold back in its own assessment. “Dumping trash onto the street and stealing public property for your own personal use are both illegal, antisocial behaviors, and not what New Yorkers do,” a department spokesperson said. “On top of all that, doing both on camera is incredibly stupid.”
Under New York law, theft of property valued under $1,000 is typically charged as petit larceny, a Class A misdemeanor, carrying penalties that for first-time offenders usually amount to a fine, summons, or community service. As of June 20, the NYPD said it had received no complaints related to the incident and Báez had not been charged.
