New York City authorities have levied fines against a former JPMorgan Chase executive after she was filmed taking a trashcan during the New York Knicks' championship parade. Angie Báez, 40, was terminated by the banking giant after video evidence of her emptying a blue-and-orange bin onto a Manhattan sidewalk and then making off with it during the team's celebration last Thursday went viral.
On Wednesday, the New York City Department of Sanitation announced the trashcan's return via a social media post. "Home sweet home," the department wrote on X, accompanying an image of the Knicks-themed receptacle. "Welcome back. We missed you."
Vincent Gragnani, press secretary for the Sanitation Department, confirmed that the trashcan had been returned Wednesday morning. Báez received two summonses from sanitation police for her actions during the parade. One summons for littering carried a $75 fine, and another for impeding sanitation operations incurred a $100 fine. These represent the maximum fines for first offenses.
Báez was observed leaving heaps of trash, including water bottles, Red Bull cans, and plastic bags, on the street. After leaving the parade with the bin, she was later seen on the subway with it. An image captured her smiling and posing with the trashcan, making a three-fingered gesture sometimes used by NBA players to signify a three-point shot.
The Sanitation Department had previously condemned Báez's actions. In a statement, they described her behavior as "illegal, antisocial" and "incredibly stupid," emphasizing that such actions are not characteristic of New Yorkers. "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," the statement read.
Báez's role at JPMorgan Chase was Executive Director of Community and Industry Engagement for Card and Connected Commerce. A spokesperson for Chase confirmed that "This employee is no longer with the company." Prior to her role at JPMorgan Chase, Báez held diversity and inclusion positions at various companies, including The Infatuation, Squarespace, Saks Fifth Avenue, Hudson's Bay, and Saks Off 5th.
