Two Men Accused of Stabbing Off-Duty NYPD Detective in Bronx Robbery Are Arrested in Massachusetts

Two men accused of stabbing an off-duty NYPD detective seven times while robbing him of a gold chain in the Bronx were arrested hiding in the basement of a house in Lynn, Massachusetts, police said.

D’Angelo Caraballo, 25, and Sneider Mejia, 24, were taken into custody by a U.S. Marshals fugitive task force just before 1 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, according to the NYPD, as reported by amNewYork and Boston.com. They are expected to be returned to New York to face attempted murder charges.

The attack

Detective Jose Mercedes, 33, of the 44th Precinct, was off duty on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, near his parked car in the Bronx when two men rode up on a motorized bike and tried to take his chain, police said. He fought back and was stabbed about seven times. The men ripped the chain from his neck and fled.

Police said Caraballo did the stabbing and Mejia drove the bike.

Mercedes was treated at Jacobi Medical Center. He left the hospital on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, as officers lined up outside to applaud him. “In another incredible feat of strength and determination, Detective Mercedes got up from his wheelchair and walked out of Jacobi Medical Center on his own two feet,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

Homeland Security officials said both men are in the United States illegally, amNewYork and Fox News reported.

Days after the arrests, on Oct. 10, 2026, Philadelphia police officer Shane Seiber was shot and killed after responding to a call about a man with a gun.

The allegations have not been proven in court.