An off-duty NYPD detective was stabbed 10 times by a pair of illegal immigrants despite repeatedly identifying himself as a cop – then chased the thugs for two blocks while barefoot despite his injuries, Bronx prosecutors said Wednesday.
The revelation came as the two accused attackers – D’Angelo Caraballo and Sneinder Mejia – were arraigned on attempted murder charges in the Oct. 2 assault on hero cop Jose Mercedes and ordered held without bail in Bronx court.
“When defendant Mejia was stabbing him numerous times, [Mercedes] attempted to place him under arrest,” Bronx Assistant District Attorney Paul Irace said in court. “He used his training to stop this from happening.”
D’Angelo Caraballo is transported from the NYPD 52nd precinct in the Bronx borough of New York, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. Stephen Yang for NY Post
Sneinder Mejia is transported from the NYPD 52nd Precinct in the Bronx, New York, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. Stephen Yang for NY Post
He said the hero cop “identified himself several times, over six times, as a police officer.”
Irace said Mercedes chased the moped-riding duo until he felt weakened by massive blood loss.
“As we sit here today, more than two weeks later, he still does not have usage of his left hand and is recovering from that surgery,” Irace told Judge Alvin Yearwood.
A half-dozen NYPD detectives packed the courtroom.
Mercedes was unloading items from his car when the two pulled up on a two-wheeler and demanded his chain, sparking a scuffle with the 10-year veteran cop.
“I almost died,” Mercedes said at a press conference earlier this week. “I told them in English, I told them in Spanish that I was a police officer. They didn’t care.”
Suspects in the stabbing of Detective Jose Mercedes are seen riding e-bikes in surveillance footage.
Caraballo and Sneinder went on the run, prompting a police manhunt.
Both had rap sheets but were repeatedly released without bail due to the state’s sanctuary policies that forced local authorities to ignore federal immigration holds.
The two, who snuck into the US from the Dominican Republic, wore Halloween masks during the attack and fled the state.
The US Marshals eventually tracked the pair down to a basement recording studio in Massachusetts, prosecutors said.
Police officers react and attend to NYPD Detective Jose Mercedes after D’Angelo Caraballo, 25, and Sneinder Mejia, 24, stabbed him while he was cleaning his car. Obtained by NY Post
NYPD Detective Jose Mercedes speaks during a press conference at the Detectives’ Endowment Association Headquarters in Manhattan, New York, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. Paul Martinka for NY Post
They were extradited to New York to face the charges.
Officials at Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to a request for information on their current status.
Mejia and Caraballo were arraigned Wednesday on a 13-count indictment for attempted murder, aggravated assault on a police officer, robbery, grand larceny, and criminal possession of a weapon.