JPMorgan Fires Executive Who Dumped Trash and Stole Public Can at Knicks Parade

What Happened

On June 19, 2026, during New York City's celebration of the Knicks' first NBA Finals win in 53 years, Angie Báez was filmed dumping the contents of a limited-edition blue-and-orange public trash can onto a Manhattan sidewalk before walking away with the empty receptacle. Additional footage, reported by the New York Post, showed her carrying the bin through the subway system, apparently pleased with her souvenir.

Bystanders confronted her on the spot. "What are you doing?" one person shouted. Others could be heard clapping in the background.

By Tuesday, June 24, JPMorgan Chase had confirmed her termination. "This employee is no longer with the company," a bank spokesperson told the New York Post.

Who She Was

Báez held the title of Executive Director of Community and Industry Engagement for Card and Connected Commerce at JPMorgan Chase, according to her LinkedIn profile as reported by the New York Post. Before that promotion, she served as Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at The Infatuation, a food and lifestyle platform JPMorgan acquired in late 2021.

Her career in DEI roles was extensive. According to Ethics Alarms, which catalogued her employment history, she previously held diversity and inclusion leadership positions at Squarespace, Saks Fifth Avenue, Hudson's Bay, and Saks Off 5th. She also co-founded a queer and BIPOC-owned talent agency. The Infatuation's website described her as "a vibrant mosaic of Dominican heritage, Bronx roots, and a passion for storytelling, creativity, and culture" dedicated to "making a positive impact."

Legal Status

The New York City Police Department confirmed on June 20 that no formal complaint had been filed. As of June 24, Báez has NOT been charged with any crime.

The New York City Department of Sanitation did not mince words. "Dumping trash onto the street and stealing public property for your own personal use are both illegal, antisocial behaviours, and not what New Yorkers do," the department said in a statement cited by the Indian Express. "On top of all that, doing both on camera is incredibly stupid."

The Opposing View

A number of social media users pushed back hard on the firing. "Discipline her or write her up, but firing someone is not cool. You just don't take people's livelihood just like that," one commenter wrote, as documented by the Indian Express. Others argued the offense, stupid as it was, didn't rise to termination: "She didn't hurt anyone, fine her and make her return it but what grounds would this be for firing?"

A stolen city trash can and a mess on the sidewalk are not embezzlement, not fraud, not violence. People do dumber things every day and keep their jobs. If JPMorgan had quietly required her to pay restitution and moved on, the outcome wouldn't obviously have been worse for public order.

But Báez held a senior executive role at one of the largest banks in the world. She wasn't a floor worker caught jaywalking. She was filmed on a crowded public street, fully identifiable, calmly dumping trash while bystanders objected, and then riding the subway with city property she took without permission. The New York City Department of Sanitation publicly called the behavior illegal. JPMorgan has every legal right to decide that is not the public profile it wants attached to an executive director.

No one disputes she wasn't charged. The termination was a private employment decision, not a criminal sentence.

The DEI Angle

Ethics Alarms took the sharpest editorial line of the four sources, arguing that her career in DEI roles reflected "a sense of entitlement" and questioning what qualifications the DEI field actually demands. Nothing in the sourced record connects her career specialty to her decision to steal a trash can. People in compliance, finance, law, and HR have done similarly impulsive things. Attributing her conduct to her job title is an inference, not a documented cause.

What is documented: she held multiple senior DEI positions across several major companies and, separately, was filmed committing what city officials described as theft of public property in broad daylight during a televised public event.

AllHipHop, covering the story from a more community-sympathetic angle, noted that the Knicks parade produced plenty of other chaotic footage, including fights and other misconduct, and suggested Báez "just got caught up in the hype." Getting "caught up in the hype" doesn't require emptying a public trash bin onto a sidewalk.

Where Things Stand

As of June 24, Báez has not commented publicly on the firing, based on available reporting. The NYPD has confirmed no complaint was filed, so the question of whether the city will pursue any civil or criminal action for theft of public property remains open. The New York City Department of Sanitation described the act as illegal, which means a complaint could still be filed. The window has not formally closed.