A 14-year-old boy was fatally stabbed in an unprovoked attack by a Bronx man who has a history of arrests and mental illness. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch expressed her frustration with “the systems that … continue to fail us” as the man was charged with murder.
Waldo Mejia, 29, is currently facing charges of manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon. The incident took place on Friday morning when Caleb Rijos, who was on his way to school on East 138th Street, was allegedly stabbed twice in the chest by Mejia, according to the police.
On his deathbed, Caleb reached out to his father for one final conversation.
“You know, he called his father and told his father that he couldn’t breathe and that he was scared, and his father heard him dying,” Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark told reporters at a Saturday news conference. “It’s unfathomable to think about the level of this tragedy.”
Rijos succumbed to his injuries and passed away at Lincoln Medical Center, as reported by the authorities.
Tisch pointed the finger at the system.
“Today, a 14-year old-boy is dead. A family is devastated, a city is in mourning, and the systems that we have in place to deal with repeat offenders and individuals with severe mental health issues continue to fail us,” Tisch said.
According to police data, there have been 63 incidents of stabbings and slashings in the city as of January 5th. This number is lower compared to the 78 incidents reported during the same period in 2024.
After carefully analyzing the surveillance video, the detectives managed to capture an image of the person believed to be Rijos’ killer. They then proceeded to thoroughly search the neighborhood for any other potential criminal activities. This diligent investigation eventually led them to Mejia as a suspect.
According to the commissioner, a resident living near the crime scene reported that their doorbell camera had been stabbed with a kitchen knife on November 27th.
Mejia was identified by the authorities because he had been charged in the crime and subsequently released on his own recognizance the following day.
Detectives showed the arresting officer photographs of the stabbing suspect from the doorbell camera case, and she recognized him as Mejia, Tisch said.
“They obtained footage from the same ring camera he’d stabbed weeks prior, and saw him leaving his residence a few minutes before Friday’s stabbing,” she said.
The commissioner blamed Rijos’ murder on New York’s revolving-door criminal justice system.
“The status quo is just not working for New Yorkers,” Tisch said during the news conference. “We do not have a system that puts the rights and needs of victims first. And my message to New Yorkers is something has to give.
“A brutal, unprovoked killing of a 14-year-old child by a career criminal or recidivist over and over again, with [a severe] history of mental health interactions with the NYPD. How many times [does] the mayor have to keep talking about this before something changes? I’m hopeful something will change. Let this be a call to action,” Tisch added.
According to the police, Mejia is also linked to a stabbing incident that occurred on January 5 at the Third Avenue and East 138th Street subway station in Mott Haven. In this incident, a 38-year-old man was slashed in the left arm while standing on the steps.
According to police sources, Mejia has been involved in at least four previous criminal cases.
According to public records, he is scheduled to appear in court on January 21st for the November incident.
In April 2019, he faced arrest in The Bronx on charges of burglary and arson. Authorities stated that he intentionally set fire to the lobby of his ex-girlfriend’s building. However, he managed to plead down to a charge of reckless endangerment. As a result, he was granted a conditional discharge, as per officials.
In May 2017, Mejia faced arrest for charges of criminal possession of weapons. He was apprehended with a loaded nine-millimeter pistol, containing nine rounds, with one round in the chamber. Tisch stated this when discussing the incident.
According to police sources, he was apprehended in January 2015 for possessing a gravity knife.
It is not immediately clear what the outcome of the weapons cases was.
Tisch highlighted that Mejia not only has an extensive criminal record but also has a documented history of interacting with the NYPD regarding his mental health.
