The streets of the Bronx became the scene of a tragedy when 14-year-old Jacob Caleb Rijos was fatally stabbed on his way to school last Friday. Waldo Mejia, 29, identified as the perpetrator, has been charged with second-degree murder and other related charges. Mejia pleaded not guilty, as reported by CBS News New York, and was remanded with a court date set for Thursday.
The incident has sparked outraged responses from local community leaders and residents. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described Mejia as a career criminal with a history of mental illness and questioned the efficiency of the system that allowed him to roam free. Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, noting Rijos' last moments speaking to his devastated father, emphasized the heartbreaking nature of the crime. "He called his father and told his father he couldn't breathe, and that he was scared," Clark said, "And his father heard him dying," in a statement obtained by FOX 5 New York.
The community's desolation was palpable at a rally where friends and classmates remembered Rijos as a beacon of joy and a dedicated student. In an impassioned plea for accountability the director of the Bronx Youth Empowerment Program, Andy King, called out elected officials. "It's unacceptable for people to be killed, kids being killed by crazy people on the street. No more can we tolerate this, and if you are an elected official, shame on you!" King told CBS News New York.
According to further reports by FOX 5 New York, Mejia's criminal behavior can be traced back several years with multiple arrests going unnoticed by the wider system of justice. Just last year, Mejia was caught attacking a Ring camera with a kitchen knife, an incident after which he was released on his own recognizance. The CBS News New York interview with Mejia's neighbor captures a disturbing pattern of behavior: "Every time I go into the work in the morning I have to check if the guy went outside or if the guy is inside the house, ya know, to the Ring camera. I have to check every day," the neighbor said.
