11 Alleged Teen Tren de Aragua Gang Members Attack NYPD Officers in Times Square Robbery Response

New York, NY – May 6, 2025 – In a brazen assault in Times Square, eleven teenagers, allegedly affiliated with a faction of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, attacked two New York Police Department (NYPD) officers on Friday, May 2, 2025, while the officers were responding to a reported robbery. The incident, described by authorities as a “wolfpack” style ambush, has heightened concerns about the growing presence of transnational criminal organizations in New York City.

According to the NYPD, the attack occurred around 7:34 p.m. near the intersection of West 42nd Street and 8th Avenue, a bustling tourist hub. Officers observed a group of nearly a dozen teens attempting to rob three individuals. As the officers intervened, the suspects turned on them, hurling glass bottles, basketballs, rocks, and scooters in a coordinated assault. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the attack as a “deliberate and organized ambush,” noting that the suspects are believed to be members of “Los Diablos de la 42,” a youth offshoot of Tren de Aragua, known as the “Little Devils of 42nd Street.”

Five of the eleven suspects, all Venezuelan nationals and undocumented immigrants, have been arrested. One adult suspect, Yeferxon Jose Mijares Hernandez, 19, was taken into custody on Sunday, charged with second-degree obstructing governmental administration, second-degree riot, and third-degree attempted assault. Four others, including a 12-year-old boy previously arrested for Central Park robberies in 2024, are in custody, while the NYPD continues to search for six additional suspects, releasing surveillance images of three teens believed to be between 15 and 20 years old.

The incident has drawn significant attention due to the involvement of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that has expanded its operations into the United States. Scholarly research highlights the gang’s origins in Venezuela’s prison system and its evolution into a transnational criminal network engaged in robbery, extortion, human trafficking, and drug trafficking. A 2024 study in Criminology & Public Policy notes that Tren de Aragua’s presence in U.S. cities, including New York, is facilitated by migration patterns and weak border enforcement, allowing the gang to exploit vulnerable communities and recruit young members, often minors.

Mayor Eric Adams condemned the attack, emphasizing the need for stronger measures against gang violence. “This is not just street crime—it’s organized racketeering,” Adams stated during a press conference alongside Commissioner Tisch. The incident has also sparked debate over immigration enforcement, as federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents attempted to take one of the detained teens into custody on Sunday but were rebuffed by the NYPD, which does not assist in civil deportation efforts. This tension reflects broader challenges in coordinating local and federal responses to transnational crime, as discussed in a 2025 Journal of Criminal Justice article, which argues that jurisdictional conflicts hinder effective gang suppression.

Police sources indicate that the suspects are linked to dozens of robberies in New York since 2022, underscoring the gang’s entrenched presence. The NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating how ICE learned of the suspect’s custody, raising questions about information sharing between agencies. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice’s recent indictment of a high-ranking Tren de Aragua member on terrorism charges signals a federal crackdown on the gang’s U.S. operations.

17GEN4.com