Bronx detective hurt in e-bike chain theft says he is healing at home

Det. Jose Mercedes is out of the hospital and recovering after an attack in Norwood, the Bronx, on Oct. 2, when two people on an e-bike went after his gold chain and stabbed him at least seven times. “I’m feeling much better, thank you,” the off-duty NYPD detective said Saturday.

What happened in Norwood on Oct. 2

Mercedes, 33, is a 10-year veteran assigned to the 44th Precinct. Officials said he was emptying his car’s trunk in broad daylight when the pair pulled up on the e-bike and reached for the chain around his neck.

He fought back. According to police, the attackers left him with stab wounds to the neck and leg, at least seven in all, then tore the chain away and fled on the motorized bike.

An ambulance took Mercedes to Jacobi Medical Center in Morris Park. When he was wheeled out on Monday evening, dozens of fellow officers stood outside saluting and cheering as bagpipes played. Mercedes got up from his wheelchair and flashed the crowd a thumbs-up.

Arrests in Lynn, Massachusetts

On Tuesday, police identified two men, 25 and 24, as suspects in the attack, saying surveillance video caught them speeding away from the scene. The NYPD said Wednesday that the U.S. Marshals Service tracked the two to Lynn, Massachusetts, where they were hiding below a house, and arrested them.

At a joint appearance in Lynn District Court on Wednesday, a judge ordered both held without bail. The NYPD said the men will be sent back to New York, where they face charges of attempted murder.