The internet has a long memory, and one New York Knicks fan learned that lesson the hard way. A woman who went viral for snatching a Knicks-themed trash can during the team's championship parade has been identified and promptly fired from her job.
The incident occurred during the Knicks' NBA Finals celebration last week, when the city rolled out special orange-and-blue trash bins to mark the occasion. In a video that racked up over 5 million views on social media, a fan can be seen casually walking off with one of the bins. The clip quickly spread, with one user joking, “Just like … Knicks Trash 🗑️ Bin Souvenir for your home 😂😂😂🗽🇵🇷.”
But the joke didn't last long. Within days, the culprit was identified as Angie Báez, a 40-year-old executive at JPMorgan Chase. According to her LinkedIn profile, she had been promoted to Executive Director of Community and Industry Engagement for Card and Connected Commerce just over a year ago. Before that, she served as Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at The Infatuation, a New York-based review site that Chase had acquired.
The viral video reportedly caused major internal turmoil at the bank. A spokesperson for JPMorgan Chase told the New York Post, “This employee is no longer with the company.” The swift termination underscores how quickly online fame can turn into real-world consequences.
Báez's bio on The Infatuation's website had once described her as “a vibrant mosaic of Dominican heritage, Bronx roots, and a passion for storytelling, creativity, and culture,” adding that she “continues to lead the way towards a more inclusive and equitable future for food media.” That glowing profile now stands in stark contrast to the reason she's making headlines.
The story has sparked broader conversations about the risks of going viral for the wrong reasons. Some fans have pointed out the irony of someone so dedicated to community engagement losing her job over a prank. Others have compared it to the fallout from an Olympian accused of vandalizing a national monument, where a single act of mischief led to career ruin.
For the Knicks, the incident is a minor blemish on an otherwise historic season. The team's first title in decades has inspired everything from a petition to rename a river after Jalen Brunson to heated debates about whether the championship was tainted by injuries to key opponents. But this trash can caper is a reminder that even in victory, not everyone behaves like a champion.
As for Báez, she now joins a growing list of people who learned that the internet never forgets. Whether she'll bounce back in her career remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: that trash can will be a lot harder to explain in future job interviews.
