NYPD Detective Jose Mercedes Speaks After 7-Stab Bronx Attack by 2 Migrants

Q: How did a bleeding detective's desperate move to unmask his attacker lead a federal task force straight to a Massachusetts basement?

Detective Jose Mercedes’ decision to rip off one attacker’s mask while bleeding from multiple stab wounds gave investigators the break they needed to identify the suspects and track them to Massachusetts. Police say Mercedes was stabbed seven times during the robbery attempt in the Bronx but still chased the two men after they fled on a motorized e-bike. During that struggle, he managed to pull away one suspect’s face covering. Investigators later described that act as a crucial lead because it helped them connect the attackers to surveillance images released publicly by the NYPD. Once the suspects were identified as D’Angelo Caraballo and Sneider Mejia, NYPD detectives worked with the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force and Boston-area law enforcement to follow up on leads outside New York. Authorities developed information placing the men in Massachusetts, ultimately tracing them to Lynn. They were found hiding in the basement of a home there and arrested by NYPD detectives assigned to the Marshals task force, with assistance from the Boston Regional Fugitive Task Force and local officers. Both are being held without bail and are expected to be returned to New York to face attempted murder charges. In short, Mercedes’ desperate move to expose one attacker’s face helped transform a street attack with masked suspects into an identifiable fugitive case, allowing a multi-agency search to zero in on the basement hideout.

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 13

Jose Mercedes, a 33-year-old NYPD detective, was set to give his first public remarks Tuesday after leaving Jacobi Medical Center following a Bronx robbery in which he was stabbed seven times.
NYPD said Mercedes was off duty and cleaning his car trunk when two men attacked him from behind; despite his wounds, he chased them before they fled on an e-bike.
Massachusetts police later arrested D’Angelo Caraballo, 25, and Sneider Mejia, 24, in a basement hideout. Both are being held without bail and are expected to face attempted murder charges after extradition to New York.
Authorities and union officials said both suspects are Dominican nationals in the U.S. illegally, and noted Caraballo had been arrested in December 2024 but released before ICE could file a detainer.
The case has intensified criticism of New York sanctuary policies, already under scrutiny after a separate ICE shooting involving another Dominican national with prior New York charges.