By Tiffany Williams –
Two fugitives wanted in the stabbing of an off-duty New York City police detective were captured in Massachusetts late Tuesday night after a multistate manhunt, the U.S. Marshals Service announced. Authorities identified the suspects as Dangelo Caraballo and Sneider Mejia and said both were taken into custody without further incident or injuries.
The pair are being held by Massachusetts State Police awaiting extradition to New York. The U.S. Marshals Service’s Southern District of New York and District of Massachusetts announced the arrests after investigators tracked the suspects across state lines.
The detective, Jose Mercedes, 33, is a 10-year NYPD veteran assigned to the 44th Precinct. According to the account of the attack, he was cleaning out his car’s trunk in broad daylight Friday when the suspects approached and tried to take his gold chain. Mercedes resisted and tried to defend himself.
Caraballo and Mejia allegedly stabbed Mercedes seven times in the neck and leg, took the chain and fled on a motorized bike. Mercedes was taken to Jacobi Medical Center and released several days later. The allegations against the two men have not been established as findings of guilt.
The case was assigned to the U.S. Marshals Service’s New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force. Investigators developed intelligence indicating the suspects had left the New York area together, then followed their trail to Massachusetts.
A targeted operation involved the Marshals Service’s District of Massachusetts, Massachusetts State Police and Lynn Police. Authorities credited sustained coordination across jurisdictions for locating and apprehending both men safely. The announcement did not specify the precise location of the arrests.
“When individuals commit violent, unprovoked acts against members of law enforcement, there is nowhere they can hide. From the second this case was assigned, the USMS in the Southern District of New York and the NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force worked around the clock, tracking these suspects across state lines to ensure they were apprehended without further violence. We will always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our police officers to hold violent offenders fully accountable,” said U.S. Marshal Ricky J. Patel.
Dennis Matulewicz, head of the Marshals Service’s District of Massachusetts, described the case as the attempted murder of an off-duty detective and credited federal, state and local partners for the arrests. He also expressed support for Mercedes’ recovery. The two suspects remain in Massachusetts custody pending their return to New York.