In the early morning hours of March, 13, 1964, a young woman named Kitty Genovese was returning to her home in Kew Gardens section of Queens New York, after her shift ended at the bar where she worked.
Around 2:30 a.m. Genovese, 28, was attacked and stabbed. Her assailant ran off. He returned and attacked her again, raping and killing her.
The case made national headlines, not because of the brutality, but due to a New York Times story that claimed 38 witnesses in nearby apartment buildings saw or heard the attack - and no one called police or tried to help.
The killer was caught and died in prison. While later investigation contradicted much of the Times' original story, the case lived on in the minds of Americans, spawning books and inspiring songs, TV shows and films. It even led to the creation of the 911 emergency phone system.
And for years ,her death was used as an example to the rest of us not to be apathetic, not to be indifferent. To "get involved."
Fast-forward to 2019.
On Monday, Khaseen Morris, a 16-year-old from Oceanside High School on Long Island, New York, was stabbed at a strip mall in what police think was an altercation over a girl. He later died of the wound.
But in an echo back to the Genovese case, police say that 50 to 70 teens witnessed the attack but chose not to help or even call 911. Instead they used their phones to record the tragedy, some posting the videos on social media.
"Kids stood there and didn't help Khaseen. They'd rather video. They videoed his death instead of helping him," Detective Lt. Stephen Fitzpatrick told reporters Tuesday at a press conference.
It's been 55 years since Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death. Just a few days ago, Khaseen Morris met the same fate. As dozens stood by.