Det. Jose Mercedes says he is recovering well after being stabbed seven times in a Bronx robbery.
Mercedes, 33, told The Post by phone on Saturday, “I’m feeling much better, thank you.” The off-duty NYPD detective, a 10-year veteran assigned to the 44th Precinct, had been released from Jacobi Medical Center just two days earlier following the violent Oct. 2 ambush in Norwood.
The attack occurred in broad daylight as Mercedes was cleaning out the trunk of his car. An e-bike-riding duo attempted to snatch his gold chain, and when the detective fought back, they slashed and stabbed him at least seven times in the neck and leg before ripping the chain away and speeding off on their motorized bike, according to officials and sources.
Terrifying footage showed Mercedes covered in blood, being loaded into an ambulance on a stretcher following the brutal melee. He was rushed to Jacobi Medical Center and remained hospitalized for several days.
On Monday evening, the wounded cop was wheeled out of the hospital in Morris Park to salutes and rapturous applause from dozens of fellow officers as bagpipes played. A beaming Mercedes stood up from his wheelchair and flashed a thumbs-up to the crowd gathered in support.
Police identified the alleged attackers on Tuesday through surveillance footage that captured them speeding from the scene. The accused slasher was named as D’Angelo Caraballo, 25, while the suspected driver was identified as Sneider Mejia, 24.
Both suspects, whom the feds identified as illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic, were tracked down by the US Marshals Service hiding in a basement of a home in Lynn, Massachusetts. They were taken into custody on Wednesday, the NYPD said.
The duo appeared jointly in Lynn District Court that same day and were ordered held without bail. They will be brought back to New York City to face attempted murder charges, according to the NYPD.
The attack highlighted ongoing concerns about e-bike-enabled robberies in the Bronx, where thieves use the motorized vehicles for quick getaways after targeting pedestrians for jewelry and other valuables.
Caraballo and Mejia are expected to be extradited to New York to face attempted murder charges.