A Dominican Republic national shot by ICE agents in The Bronx had a concerning criminal history and seemed to take advantage of New York’s lenient bail and sanctuary laws that allowed him to remain free, according to various sources and court documents.
Oscar Belgal, 28, is thought to have entered the US illegally around 2022. Just a year later, he was involved in a gunpoint robbery in Fordham Heights. Shortly after receiving a conviction in 2025, he allegedly began dealing dangerous drugs and was purportedly tied to a violent street gang.
This didn’t prevent Mayor Zohran Mamdani from labeling Belgal as “a New Yorker” during a heated speech on Thursday, which rubbed some Bronx residents the wrong way.
“I don’t see him as a New Yorker,” expressed Bronx mother Migdalia Martinez, whose 12-year-old son, Jacob Freytas, lost his life in a gang shooting while biking in July.
“The only thing I can call him is trash. And my home, New York, is not trash,” she remarked to a reporter on Friday.
When asked if Mamdani was incorrect in calling Belgal a New Yorker, Martinez replied, “The mayor is wrong in many ways — that’s definitely one.”
Tragically, her son was caught in a stray bullet incident in Mt. Eden, which is associated with the notorious Trinitarios gang. Authorities indicated they believed this gang was part of the violent events leading to her son’s death.
Officials from the US Department of Homeland Security suggested that the same gang might have been behind a shooting incident involving an off-duty CBP officer at Fort Washington Park in July 2025. They said they were investigating possible connections to Belgal when they approached him on Thursday.
Latest updates on the Bronx ICE shooting:
Video captured plainclothes ICE agents rushing towards Belgal’s parked vehicle in Marble Hill around 4 p.m., guns drawn. He fled, eluding the cameras’ vision.
Marcos Charles, the head of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, claimed that Belgal “accelerated” towards the agents, hitting two of them.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed that the agents were wearing body cameras, although the footage hasn’t been released yet.
Sources believe Belgal entered the US with a migrant caravan in 2022 without facing any border control checks.
By December 2023, he had already been arrested for armed robbery, which occurred a month earlier.
According to the criminal complaint, while driving with two passengers, he pointed a gun at them and demanded jewelry and cash. The victims surrendered their belongings, totaling roughly $500. Eventually, Belgal was apprehended but released without bail as he awaited trial.
In April 2025, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of fourth-degree grand larceny, resulting in a month in jail and five years probation when he was sentenced in January.
However, this interaction with the law did not seem to change his behavior. Months later, in August 2025, he faced arrest again for allegedly trafficking dangerous drugs such as fentanyl and cocaine, and that case is still pending.
Although those drug-related charges weren’t eligible for bail, he was released under strict supervision after his arrest, according to law enforcement sources.
Despite federal authorities requesting local officials to hold him for ICE through a detainer order after his arrest, this request was not fulfilled.
Mullin criticized New York’s sanctuary policies for enabling criminal activities and endangering public safety.
Ultimately, Belgal ended up in federal custody after an ICE agent shot him in the neck when he attempted to escape in his vehicle with his 5-year-old son inside.
Bodycam footage from the NYPD depicted officers arriving to find ICE agents attending to Belgal, while his son screamed in fear. Although seven bullets struck the vehicle, Belgal survived his injury and was taken to a hospital. Thankfully, his son was unharmed and is currently safe with family members.
This was actually the second time ICE tried to detain Belgal; an attempt in September had also failed when he managed to escape.
The incident led to widespread backlash from some politicians and anti-ICE activists who congregated at NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital after Belgal was admitted.
“A New Yorker was shot by ICE agents in Marble Hill,” the mayor commented. “They surrounded his vehicle before firing, wearing construction vests and masks that obscured their faces. There was no clear way to identify them as ICE agents.”
“You’re hearing from New Yorkers now — anguish, pain, and anger — that in this city, immigrants can wake up each day not knowing if they can live their lives freely,” he added.
However, opinions varied, as one of Belgal’s former neighbors strongly disagreed with the mayor’s stance. She firmly stated “No” when asked if she considered him a New Yorker.
“Absolutely not. This is why I think it’s time to vote out the Democrats,” said Mora Rodriguez, an older resident from Belgal’s former building in Inwood. “What’s going on with the legal system, where they release people despite extensive criminal records? This is a criminal. Why let him go?”
Belgal was eventually released from the hospital and taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn following a court hearing on Friday.
His name appeared inconsistently across different legal documents and agencies, appearing as Belgal, Bengal, or Bergal.
Mullin noted that the feds are keeping an eye on Belgal due to his potential link to the shooting that injured the off-duty CBP officer, claiming he might have had “direct or indirect knowledge” about it.
This earlier shooting was executed by two undocumented immigrants from the Dominican Republic, one of whom was recently sentenced to 15 years in prison. Law enforcement indicated that Belgal’s phone number was found with one of the suspects, prompting ICE to seek him out.
