NYC Detective Stabbed During Bronx Robbery to Hold News Briefing
A New York City police detective, who recently survived a robbery where he was allegedly stabbed seven times by two illegal immigrants, is set to speak at a news conference at 2 p.m. Tuesday to provide updates on his recovery.
Detective Jose Mercedes, a 33-year-old with a decade of service, was off-duty and cleaning his car when he was attacked from behind, according to the NYPD. In a remarkable show of courage, despite being injured, he pursued the assailants until they escaped on an e-bike.
The accused are D’Angelo Caraballo, 25, and Sneider Mejia, 24, who reportedly fled to Massachusetts, where they were arrested in a basement hideout. They are currently being held without bail and likely to face attempted murder charges once they are extradited back to New York.
Both suspects are illegal immigrants from the Dominican Republic and have prior criminal records.
Interestingly, Caraballo had been previously arrested in December 2024 but was released before authorities could file a detainer request with immigration officials.
As Detective Mercedes continues to heal, New York City is experiencing heightened tensions surrounding immigration issues, highlighted by a separate incident involving ICE that many believe could have been avoided had local leaders not adopted sanctuary policies.
Vincent Vallelong, president of the NYPD’s Sergeants Benevolent Association, voiced concerns about the implications of such policies, stating that politicians are putting lives at risk to please their constituents.
In another case, Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old Dominican national with a history of robbery and pending drug charges, is recovering after being shot in the neck while allegedly trying to escape ICE agents. At the time, he had a 5-year-old child in his vehicle, who fortunately was unharmed.
Although NYPD wasn’t involved in Belgal’s case, the incident sparked criticism of law enforcement and calls to reduce funding for specialized units designed for crowd control and other operations. Vallelong mentioned that there were demands to disband the Strategic Response Group despite their absence from the incident in question, highlighting a disconnect in the conversation about public safety and law enforcement.
