Illegal Immigrants Accused Of Stabbing NYPD Detective Caught Hiding In Basement

Authorities nabbed two illegal immigrants accused of stabbing an off-duty NYPD detective after a five-day manhunt.

D’Angelo Caraballo, 25, and Sneider Mejia, 24, were found hiding in the basement of a house in Lynn, Massachusetts, and were taken into custody overnight, the NYPD announced Wednesday.

“UPDATE: NYPD detectives assigned to the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force with support from the Boston Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested D’Angelo Caraballo and Sneider Mejia overnight in Lynn, Massachusetts for the attempted murder of an off-duty NYPD detective last Friday. The suspects were hiding in the basement of a house when they were apprehended,” the NYPD wrote in an X post.

“Thank you to the @USMarshalsHQ for their support on this case. If you come for one of us, you’ll have the full force of the NYPD coming for you,” the post added.

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

The illegal immigrant pair approached Detective Jose Mercedes, 33, on an e-bike as he was taking items out of his car’s trunk in the Bronx around 1:45 p.m. on Friday, according to the Post. They allegedly tried to steal his gold chain. Mercedes fought back, and Caraballo allegedly stabbed him seven times.

The suspects took off and left the detective bleeding on the sidewalk, the outlet reported.

Mercedes was hospitalized and survived after the blade missed his vital organs, according to the Post.

On Monday, Mercedes was wheeled out of the hospital before standing and walking on his own in front of hundreds of cheering NYPD officers.

Both suspects, citizens of the Dominican Republic, crossed the southern border illegally in Arizona at different times and were released into the country by the Biden administration, Fox News reported.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had previously issued a detainer for Mejia, but city officials declined to honor it under New York City’s sanctuary policies, Fox News reported.

Mejia received a deportation order last year.

Caraballo was arrested in July on a menacing charge after allegedly threatening to stab a person who rented him a room in the Bronx, according to the Post. He was also arrested in 2025 on a firearm possession charge after he allegedly had a loaded .380 Taurus gun in his car.