What police say started as a setup for a quick score on a quiet Bronx block ended with a young driver dead and three people in cuffs. Detectives arrested three suspects in connection with the killing of 26-year-old Amir Ahmad, who was shot while sitting in his BMW on Thwaites Place earlier this month and later died at Jacobi Medical Center. Investigators say the takedowns came after they pulled surveillance video and combed through court documents tied to the alleged ambush.
Arrests and charges
Prosecutors say 18-year-olds Wanderlin Mateo and Darlin Sanchez, along with 23-year-old Angelic Encarnacion, were picked up last week and each charged with murder, manslaughter, attempted robbery and criminal possession of a weapon. All three were ordered held without bail after an arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court, according to New York Daily News.
How police say the ambush unfolded
Court paperwork reviewed by investigators sketches out what they describe as a pre-planned robbery that spun out of control. Police allege Encarnacion lured Ahmad to her building under the pretense of buying marijuana. Afterward, members of the group left the apartment, then approached the parked BMW wearing masks and gloves. Surveillance audio from inside the building reportedly captured one of the teens in the elevator saying he had a gun.
According to the criminal complaint, two suspects then displayed weapons and ordered the people inside the BMW to get out. Ahmad instead hit the gas and was shot as he tried to drive off, authorities say. Two other alleged accomplices were still on the loose at the time of the arrests. Those details were outlined in reporting by the New York Post.
Linked robbery and past records
Prosecutors also tied Mateo to another holdup the following night at a Norwood barbershop on Bainbridge Avenue, where a barber and a customer were robbed of cash and jewelry, according to Bronx.com. Sanchez had a prior bust last year for allegedly selling drugs, while Encarnacion appears to have no previous arrests on record.
Court filings and previous reporting further note that Ahmad himself had past arrests, including a 2023 strangulation case and a 2014 robbery charge, according to New York Daily News.
Neighbors and broader concern
Residents along the Pelham Parkway stretch where the shooting unfolded told reporters the killing shook what they consider a usually calm block. Neighbors described being unnerved by the late-night gunfire and crime scene tape outside their buildings, ABC7 reported.
The slaying was the borough’s third homicide that week, a grim tally that earlier coverage said has thrown a spotlight on a recent uptick in shootings in the Bronx, according to reporting on the third homicide that week in the Bronx.
Court status and investigation
All three defendants were arraigned in Bronx Criminal Court and ordered held without bail as detectives continue to review surveillance footage and search for two additional suspects, according to court notices and police sources. Authorities have urged anyone who might have information or video of the incident to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers, with tips accepted online or by phone, per Bronx.com.
The suspects are presumed innocent unless and until they are convicted in court. More hearings are expected this week as the Bronx District Attorney’s office prepares its case. Investigators say the probe remains active and have again pushed for witnesses to come forward, as noted by the New York Post.
