Off-duty detective stabbed in Norwood chases robbery suspects before collapsing

Two men tried to rob an off-duty NYPD detective on a Norwood street in the Bronx just before 2 p.m. Friday, stabbing him several times near 3174 Rochambeau Ave., police said. No arrests have been made.

Detective Jose Mercedes, who works out of the 44th Precinct and has been with the department since 2016, was taken to Jacobi Medical Center. He is expected to survive.

What happened on Rochambeau Avenue

According to his aunt, Lenny Mercedes, the attackers came up from behind as he was about to open his car’s trunk and went for his gold chain, which was left lying in the street. She said he was stabbed eight times but is stable, alert and talking.

Investigators said the detective went after the men on foot despite his wounds and collapsed two blocks away, at 206th Street and Rochambeau Avenue. Witnesses said he lay bleeding in the street until first responders reached him within minutes. One neighbor said people on the block knew him as a police officer.

NYPD search for suspects who fled on an e-bike

Police said the two men got away on an e-bike with nothing and may have been hurt during the struggle. Both had on black sweatpants and black sneakers. One was shirtless, and the other was dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt. Officers flooded the area after the attack, and bloodhounds joined the search.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the police commissioner visited the detective at the hospital Friday. “He is thankfully in stable condition, and I am hoping for his quick and complete recovery,” the mayor said, adding that he was confident the NYPD would find those responsible and hold them to account.