A 29-year-old man, identified as Waldo Mejia, has been arrested in connection with the stabbing death of 14-year-old Caleb Rijos in the Bronx. The tragic incident occurred on Friday morning as Rijos was walking to school. In an unprovoked attack, Mejia allegedly approached the teenager and stabbed him twice in the chest. Despite attempting to flee, Rijos collapsed between two parked cars. A Good Samaritan quickly flagged down an ambulance, but Rijos tragically passed away six minutes later from stab wounds to his heart and lung.
In a heart-wrenching moment, Rijos called his father shortly after the attack, telling him he couldn’t breathe and was frightened. His father, hearing the distress in his son’s voice, tragically listened as Caleb died. The young boy, remembered as a bright student and football player at the Bronx Leadership Academy, has left his community devastated.
Mejia, a known career criminal, was arrested shortly after the stabbing. Police found him in possession of a bloody knife. He has been charged with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Mejia, with a violent history and mental health issues, has been arrested four times previously, including one arrest earlier this year for another stabbing.
New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch expressed concern over the failure of systems meant to manage repeat offenders and those with severe mental health problems. She stated that this tragic death, combined with the stabbing of a 38-year-old man at a subway station just days earlier, underscores the ongoing issues. Surveillance footage linked Mejia to both incidents, helping investigators tie him to Rijos’ death.
