THE DAILY BS: HOW MUCH CAN YOU HANDLE?
SPARE ME THE BS (I’ve got things to do).
- Off-duty NYPD Detective Jose Mercedes says he was stabbed 10 times during a Bronx robbery — even after telling his attackers in English and Spanish that he was a police officer.
- Despite serious wounds, the 33-year-old detective chased his attackers for several blocks. Two Dominican nationals whom federal authorities identify as illegal immigrants have been arrested and charged.
- Mercedes says he nearly died. Now recovering from surgery, he is thanking the officers, paramedics and civilians who helped save his life.
LAY IT ON ME (I’ve got time).
They stabbed him repeatedly. He told them he was a police officer. They kept going.
Now, for the first time since surviving a vicious Bronx robbery, NYPD Detective Jose Mercedes is describing the terrifying encounter that nearly cost him his life.
“I told them in English, I told them in Spanish that I was a police officer. They didn’t care,” Mercedes told reporters Tuesday. “I almost died.”
An NYPD detective who survived an attack with 10 stab wounds, including in the neck, by two suspected illegal immigrants is thanking God for a second chance at life.
“The first thing that I want to do is thank God I have a second chance at life.”
Detective Jose Mercedes was on vacation when he was violently attacked. He says he told his attackers he was a police officer, but they didn’t care.
Now, standing before reporters, Mercedes is expressing gratitude to the first responders and medical teams who saved his life, along with the investigators who worked to bring the suspects to justice.
The two suspects reportedly entered the U.S. illegally during the Biden administration.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 13, 2026
The 33-year-old detective, a 10-year NYPD veteran, was off duty on October 2 when two men approached him while he was cleaning out the trunk of his car in the Bronx’s Norwood neighborhood.
According to police, the attackers attempted to steal a gold necklace Mercedes was wearing. He fought back, and the confrontation turned into a brutal stabbing.
Initial police reports described seven stab wounds. At his Tuesday news conference, Mercedes said he had actually been stabbed 10 times.
His injuries included wounds to his neck, arms and leg. He required surgery and is still working to regain movement in his left hand.
And what happened after the attack was extraordinary.
Despite bleeding heavily, Mercedes pursued his attackers on foot for several blocks as they attempted to escape on an electric bicycle.
He eventually sought help from a bystander, who called 911.
Mercedes explained that his police training kicked in even as he struggled with his injuries. He wanted to remember as much as possible about the men who attacked him so investigators could identify them.
“We receive an enormous amount of training in the NYPD, and a lot of it becomes instinctive to how we act in times of distress,” he told News 12.
The detective also thanked the officers and emergency responders who rushed to his aid, including members of the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit who applied tourniquets and searched for additional injuries.
Mercedes was treated at Jacobi Medical Center before being released to an emotional welcome from fellow officers.
But the investigation has also raised questions about immigration enforcement and the criminal justice system.
The two accused attackers, D’Angelo Caraballo, 25, and Sneider Mejia, 24, are Dominican nationals who were living in the United States illegally, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Federal authorities say both men had prior criminal records.
Fox News reported that Caraballo had been arrested in December 2024 and released before Immigration and Customs Enforcement could submit a detainer request.
Following the attack, investigators tracked the suspects to Lynn, Massachusetts, where U.S. Marshals arrested them. They were returned to the Bronx on Tuesday to face charges that include attempted murder and robbery.
Those charges remain allegations, and both defendants are entitled to the presumption of innocence.
The immigration details have drawn sharp criticism from police union leaders.
Vincent Vallelong, president of the NYPD’s Sergeants Benevolent Association, accused elected officials of putting public safety at risk through policies he considers too lenient.
“They’re putting people in harm’s way,” Vallelong told Fox News.
Detectives Endowment Association President Scott Munro has also called for severe prison sentences if the defendants are convicted.
Those criticisms come as New York City officials face broader disputes over sanctuary policies, federal immigration enforcement and the treatment of repeat offenders.
But Mercedes himself kept the focus on surviving the attack and thanking the people who helped him.
He described the incident as a reminder of how quickly an ordinary day can turn deadly, even for an experienced police officer.
He had been taking vacation time, hoping for a break from the crime he confronts on the job.
Instead, he ended up fighting for his life on a Bronx street.
The detective says he now has a second chance at life.
DBS WIRE SOURCES (I’ve got all day).
- Fox News — NYPD detective who survived stabbing attack makes first public remarks since leaving hospital
- New York Post — Detective reveals why he fought to keep necklace and how attackers reacted when he identified himself
- CBS New York — NYPD detective speaks out: ‘I have a second chance at life’
- News 12 The Bronx — Off-duty NYPD detective who was attacked and robbed speaks for the first time
- amNewYork — NYPD detective recounts stabbing after hospital release
