ICE Warrant Suspect, Accomplice Charged in Attack on Off-Duty NYPD Detective

An illegal immigrant with an active warrant from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and his associate have been identified as suspects in the slashing of an off-duty NYPD detective in the Bronx. The incident occurred on Friday, October 2, 2026, around 1:45 p.m. at Rochambeau Avenue and East 208th Street in Norwood.

Detective Jose Mercedes, assigned to the 44th Precinct, was reportedly retrieving items from his car when two individuals on an e-bike approached him. The suspects attempted to steal his gold chain, and when Mercedes resisted, he was slashed seven times in the neck and leg. The assailants then fled the scene, leaving the detective bleeding.

Mercedes was transported to Jacobi Medical Center, where he was reported in stable condition. Police released surveillance footage showing the two suspects on the e-bike, with one passenger appearing shirtless. The driver was identified as 24-year-old Sneider Mejia, who has a detainer issued by ICE. The suspected stabber was identified as 25-year-old D’Angelo Caraballo.

Mejia has a prior arrest from the previous year, though the case has been sealed. Caraballo has two previous arrests: one for menacing in July, where he allegedly threatened to stab someone, and a 2025 gun possession charge.

Family members of Detective Mercedes visited him in the hospital, expressing frustration with the justice system. "We want the justice system to ensure the police do their job effectively, but the courts go too easy on them, sending criminals right back out on the street," said Ricardo Mercedes, the detective’s uncle. "We want a tough stance from the justice system."

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch also visited the injured detective. Mercedes, who joined the NYPD in July 2016, is the first police officer in his family.

The attack on the off-duty detective follows a series of recent incidents involving assaults on NYPD officers, including an incident where a man threw a glass bottle at an officer's head in Queens, and another where an FDNY firefighter allegedly punched an officer in Queens. In February, a group also threw snowballs at officers in Washington Square Park.