NYPD Detective Stabbed 7 Times in Bronx Chain Robbery Now Recovering

Off-duty Det. Jose Mercedes was stabbed seven times by two e-bike riders in Norwood on Oct. 2. Both suspects, identified as undocumented migrants, were arrested in Massachusetts.

NYPD Detective Recovering After Seven-Stab Attack in Norwood Chain Snatch

An off-duty NYPD detective stabbed seven times during a daylight robbery in the Bronx told the NY Post he is recovering after being discharged from the hospital.

"I'm feeling much better, thank you," Det. Jose Mercedes said when reached by phone Saturday, according to NY Post Metro.

Mercedes, 33, a 10-year veteran assigned to the 44th Precinct, was ambushed on Oct. 2 while cleaning out the trunk of his car in Norwood. Two men on an e-bike rode up and attempted to snatch his gold chain. When Mercedes resisted, the pair stabbed him at least seven times in the neck and leg before tearing the chain from his neck and fleeing on the motorized bike, officials and sources told the Post.

Video obtained by the outlet showed the detective covered in blood as he was loaded onto a stretcher and placed in an ambulance. He was taken to Jacobi Medical Center and discharged several days later.

His exit from the hospital at Morris Park on Monday evening drew dozens of fellow officers, who greeted him with salutes and applause while bagpipes played. Mercedes rose from his wheelchair and gave a thumbs-up to the assembled crowd.

Police identified the two alleged attackers on Tuesday after reviewing surveillance footage that captured them speeding away from the scene. The suspected slasher was named as D'Angelo Caraballo, 25; the alleged driver of the bike as Sneider Mejia, 24.

Federal authorities identified both men as undocumented migrants from the Dominican Republic. US Marshals located them hiding in the basement of a home in Lynn, Massachusetts, and took them into custody Wednesday, the NYPD said. Both were ordered held without bail at their joint appearance in Lynn District Court the same day.

The two will be returned to New York City to face attempted murder charges, according to the NYPD.

Source: NY Post Metro