A 14-year-old Bronx boy who was fatally stabbed in the chest while waiting for a school bus used his dying breaths to call his father for assistance, according to authorities.
Waldo Mejia, 29, was indicted for murder on Thursday after allegedly beating the boy on his way to school on January 10, 2025, according to authorities.
Mejia is suspected of stabbing Caleb Rios in the heart and lungs many times near Lincoln Avenue and 138th Street at 10 a.m.
Authorities said the teen called his father before collapsing in the street. Rios was taken to the hospital when a kind Samaritan summoned an ambulance, but the boy could not be saved.
“His last conversation was at my house, talking about the future,” the boy’s grandmother, Carmon Aponte, previously told PIX11 News.
According to Aponte, Caleb aspired to play professional football to provide for his family.
“Caleb’s death has shocked and saddened the city,” Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark said.
Mejia is also charged with stabbing a 38-year-old man in the stairway of a Bronx subway station five days before allegedly killing the teen, according to investigators.
The victim required many operations after the knife penetrated his arm and damaged an artery, according to court filings.
Mejia allegedly struggled with mental health concerns before being declared incompetent for trial in March 2025, but he was cleared seven months later, according to prosecutors.
The suspect also faces attempted murder, manslaughter, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon charges.
Mejia pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail at his arraignment on Thursday, according to court records. His lawyer could not be contacted.
Leave a Reply