Giovanni Rodriquez, 22, was stabbed multiple times in the chest and arm Sunday evening on the corner of 57th Street and Fourth Avenue in Sunset Park.
He was pronounced dead at Lutheran Medical Center.
Police took 64-year old Juan Ramos into custody for questioning Monday night, after neighbors tipped off police that he was hiding on a rooftop. Ramos was later arrested and charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
The incident was sparked by an apparent verbal dispute. It is still unclear what caused the conflict or if the two knew each other.
Residents say Ramos is known to beg for money in the neighborhood.
Rodriguez's mother says another of her sons was stabbed to death, five years ago. Losing another son has been too much to bear.
"Giovanni was a very good kid for a mother, and I couldn't ask for a better son," she said. "He was not a bad person."
