Viral Knicks parade trash-can theft costs JPMorgan employee her job

JPMorgan Chase said Angie Báez was no longer with the company after a video of her taking a Knicks-themed trash can from the championship parade spread across social media and drew millions of views.

The scene unfolded on June 18, 2026, when New York City staged its first Knicks ticker-tape parade since 1973 after the team beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 on June 13 to clinch the NBA title and end a 53-year drought. The parade began near Bowling Green in Lower Manhattan and moved up Broadway through the Canyon of Heroes to City Hall, with the New York Police Department saying all viewing pens were full and more than 10,000 officers were deployed.

City sanitation crews were on hand in large numbers before the confetti settled. The New York City Department of Sanitation said it planned 70 sanitation officers and 650 sanitation workers, along with trucks and mechanical brooms, and later said it collected more than 75,000 pounds of confetti and litter after the celebration. The department also said the trash cans had been custom-painted in Knicks colors as part of the parade setup, and that taking public property was illegal and not something New Yorkers do.

The video of Báez, identified by the New York Post as 40, ricocheted online and was viewed millions of times, including 7.5 million views on TikTok in one account of the clip. ABC News said she received two summonses totaling $175, $75 for littering and $100 for impeding DSNY operations, the maximum fines allowed for first offenses. The can was later returned to the city.

The incident also highlighted how quickly a public moment can become a workplace matter when a camera and social media collide. Báez had been an executive director at JPMorgan Chase in community and industry engagement for card and connected commerce, and Chase confirmed only that she was no longer with the company, without saying whether the parade episode was tied to her departure.

A retail version of the parade can added another layer to the story. Only NY sold an official DSNY 2026 Champions Edition waste basket for $168, a licensed product inspired by the parade cans, underscoring how a piece of city cleanup gear became part of the championship spectacle and, in Báez’s case, a costly object lesson in online exposure and employer discretion.