# Stabbed NYPD Detective Speaks Out as the Two Suspects, Both in the Country Illegally, Return to the Bronx

Detective Jose Mercedes says he told his attackers in English and Spanish he was a cop. One suspect had been released in 2024 before ICE could lodge a detainer.

- Section: [Border & Security](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/border-security/)
- Published: 2026-10-18
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/nypd-detective-mercedes-stabbing-suspects-extradited/

An off-duty New York police detective who says he was stabbed 10 times while cleaning out his trunk has spoken publicly for the first time since leaving the hospital.

Detective Jose Mercedes, 33, a 10-year NYPD veteran, told reporters: "I told them in English, I told them in Spanish that I was a police officer. They didn't care." Fox reports he was on a vacation day when two men ambushed him, stabbed him and took a gold necklace he says was a gift from his mother. He chased them for several blocks before they got away on an e-bike, and a group of good Samaritans helped him. He thanked officers from the 52nd Precinct and the Emergency Services Unit, who applied tourniquets to both his arms. "I almost died," he said.

The suspects. D'Angelo Caraballo, 25, and Sneider Mejia Bautista, 24, are Dominican citizens living in the country illegally, according to Fox. Both have criminal records. They were arrested in a basement hideout in Massachusetts after a multistate manhunt and were brought back to the Bronx on Oct. 13. Both spoke to cameras in Spanish. Caraballo said he was not being fed and asked that his mother be told he is fine, and Mejia said, "I didn't do anything." They are being held without bail and are expected to face attempted murder charges.

The immigration angle. Fox reports Caraballo was arrested in December 2024 and released before Immigration and Customs Enforcement could lodge a detainer request. Scott Munro, president of the Detectives Endowment Association, said the pair "need to do 25 years to life." Vincent Vallelong, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, blamed local politicians for sanctuary laws he said put people "in harm's way."

Mercedes, who is also of Dominican descent, was asked whether he worried the case would be used to push a deportation agenda. He did not take the bait: "I dedicate my life to investigating crime, and I think that it's very important to keep our community safe for all of us."

Keep in mind that the men are accused, not convicted, and Fox said they were expected to face attempted murder charges.

## Source

Original reporting: [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/us/nypd-detective-survived-stabbing-attack-makes-first-public-remarks-leaving-hospital)