Watch CBS News

YouTube Sensation Heading To NJ On Murder Charges

CLARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) –YouTube sensation charged with killing a New Jersey lawyer is heading back to the Garden State.

Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, known as "Kai, the hatchet-wielding hitchhiker," waived extradition Tuesday in a brief hearing in Philadelphia. He's charged with murdering 73-year-old Union County lawyer Joseph Galfy.

Authorities said Galfy was found partially clothed and beaten to death inside his Clark home on May 13. McGillvary met Galfy in Times Square and spent at least two nights in Galfy's home before the lawyer was killed, prosecutors said.

McGillvary, 24, became a YouTube sensation after he stopped a suspect who allegedly attacked a utility worker in Fresno, Calif., back in February.

At the time, he told KMPH that he was a passenger in the suspect's car when the suspect plowed the car into a utility truck, pinning the worker between the car and the truck.

When the suspect became violent with a bystander, "Kai" pulled a hatchet from his backpack and struck the suspect in the head.

His expletive-laden interview following the incident went viral online after it was posted on YouTube. He even made an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

Prosecutors have declined to say what object was used in Galfy's beating.

McGillvary was arrested at a Greyhound Bus Terminal on May 16 after he was spotted at a Philadelphia Starbucks.

Check Out These Other Stories From CBSNewYork.com:

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.