NEW ROCHELLE, NY — A family friend associated with a corporate investigative firm for the family working as a private investigator for the family of Valaree Schwab obtained surveillance video from the Subway restaurant located at 642 North Avenue in New Rochelle and shared that video exclusively with Talk of the Sound.
The video depicts the last tragic moments of the 16 year old’s life as she hides from a group of 5 males and 2 females, all believed to be New Rochelle High School Students, who appear at the door of the restaurant. Z’inah Brown is visible at the entrance to the door wearing blue jeans and the same gray and maroon Nike sneakers she wore at her arraignment the following day in New Rochelle City Court. Schwab engages with them briefly (there is no audio) and they leave the store after being told to leave by the manager. Valeree and her boyfriend remained in the store for another 20 minutes and then exited the store, turning left towards her fatal encounter at the Dunkin’ Donuts.
According to one investigator from the Metropolitan Investigative Group LLC, the group had been following Schwab from the McDonald’s restaurant just up the street at 720 North Avenue. He said one of the people stole Valaree’s keys and assaulted her in the McDonald’s, yanking her hair and slamming her to the ground. He said, that in the belief that the group of people attempting to enter the Subway had left the area, Schwab exited the Subway and ended up inside the Dunkin’ Donuts next door.
Tragically, Valaree has one final kiss with her boyfriend as they stand at the counter. It would be her last.
At a New Rochelle Board of Education meeting on Tuesday night, Kevin McKeown told hundreds of people gathered for an information meeting on school violence, how Z’inah Brown is alleged to have stabbed Valeree Schwab once through the heart and once in the lung. She died soon after at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx.
Schools Superintendent Brian Osborne stated that all of the students known to have been on the scene have not been back in school since the murder occurred.
Subway Surveillance Video Valaree Schwab Case 20180110
Video available to all media outlets (except Verizon FiOS1News). Credit @TalkoftheSound
UPDATE 7:45 AM
STATEMENT FROM NRPD POLICE CAPTAIN ROBERT GAZZOLA TO MEDIA
I have received a lot of requests for information regarding the Schwab homicide and the stabbing at New Rochelle High School. Below is some updated information
Homicide – January 10, 2018
The New Rochelle Police Department is continuing its investigation into the alleged incidents leading up to the death of Valaree Schwab. We are working closely with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office to identify those individuals involved and what roles they may have played. We realize that members of the press and community are looking for specific answers, however, since this is a an active investigation we cannot release information that may jeopardize the investigation and subsequent prosecution.
Additionally, we have not and will not release videos or any other items of evidentiary value; any videos purporting to be of the incident that are posted online were obtained from sources outside of the New Rochelle Police Department.
New Rochelle High School Stabbing – January 18, 2018
As of this writing we have not yet located the individual suspected in the stabbing of the New Rochelle High School student. Based on the suspect’s age, and after consultation with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, we are prohibited by law from identifying him. We have been in contact with attorneys from the Legal Aid Society who represent the suspect. We are working with them, and his family in an attempt to have him surrender. Once he is arrested, I will advise.
Captain Robert Gazzola
Commanding Officer, Criminal Investigations Division
New Rochelle Police Department