
Migrant Tren de Aragua punks brawl with NYPD cops in wild Times Square melee
A rowdy mob of Tren de Aragua gangbangers turned on a pair of NYPD cops in Times Square in a shocking caught-on-video assault — the second migrant attack on New York's Finest in the tourist hot spot in less than two years.
The cowardly attack came after the Friday night boxing match between Ryan Garcia and Rolly Romero in the Crossroads of the World, with the two cops jumped while trying to stop the asylum seeking thugs from robbing a pair of youngsters, law enforcement sources said.
At least three of the brutes were rounded up by Sunday afternoon — including a 12-year-old reputed ring leader — with police identifying the mob as members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and a baby-faced offshoot of the crew known as Diablos de la 42, or Devils of 42nd Street, the sources said.
Advertisement
3 Scenes from the Fatal Fury Times Square boxing match between Ryan Garcia and Rolly Romero in the times Square section of New York, NY on May 2, 2025.
Christopher Sadowski
At least three in the mob were already sought for a string of shocking robberies in Central Park — and were caught red-handed trying to pull off another heist when two cops intervened, they said.
'Is this what a sanctuary city is supposed to be?' one frustrated cop asked. 'One of these kids was 11 years old when he was the ringleader of that Central Park robbery pattern.
Advertisement
'What is it going to take for some of this policy to change when you have an 11, now 12-year-old, running around — or anybody — committing these crimes?' the source said. 'When is common sense going to prevail? Don't we have a moral obligation?'
An NYPD spokesperson said Sunday that two of the migrants — 16 and 17 years old — were charged with obstructing governmental administration, riot and menacing, with the older teen also charged with assault on a police officer, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon.
The sources said the 12-year-old was also taken into custody and released pending a family court hearing, with at least three others in the gang under investigation for the attack.
3 At least three in the mob were already sought for a string of shocking robberies in Central Park — and were caught red-handed trying to pull off another heist when two cops intervened.
Christopher Sadowski
Advertisement
3 Police said the migrants were all living at Manhattan's Row Hotel.
Christopher Sadowski
None of their names were released because of their ages.
Police said the migrants were all living at Manhattan's Row Hotel, one of dozens of sites throughout the Big Apple housing asylum seekers at taxpayer expense.
New York City is a self-proclaimed sanctuary city, and took in thousands of migrants from the US border since 2022 — including gangbangers who blended in and snuck into the country.
Advertisement
The crisis overburdened the city and created a headache for the NYPD, which was forced to grapple with a new criminal presence inside Big Apple hotels and makeshift shelters in two massive tent cities and converted old schools and even churches.
The Friday night attack was eerily similar to the January 2024 mob assault on two city cops, who were pounded by migrants while trying to break up an unruly crowd in Times Square.
All but one of those migrants have either been sentenced or released, with one awaiting trial.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Suspects in New York City crypto torture case plead not guilty to kidnapping and assault
Two men accused of torturing an Italian businessman in a luxe New York City townhouse to obtain his cryptocurrency have pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping, assault and coercion as prosecutors said there are other possible victims and even shared a photo that allegedly depicted the victim on fire. John Woeltz and William Duplessie, both handcuffed and in jumpsuits, were arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom Wednesday after a grand jury indicted them on a dozen charges. Judge Gregory Carro ordered them to remain held without bail through their next court appearance on July 15. A prosecutor, Sarah Kahn, shared graphic details of the alleged abuse during the hearing. She showed the judge a photo that she said depicted the alleged victim on fire and said the defendants would pour tequila on him, light him on fire and then put the fire out -- sometimes by urinating on him. Woeltz and Duplessie pistol-whipped the victim with a gun, cut him with a small chainsaw and used various other instruments as part of the torture, Kahn said. She said prosecutors have had conversations with other, unnamed law enforcement agencies that indicated Woeltz and Duplessie have tortured people before. She did not elaborate. MORE: What we know about the NYC crypto kidnapping and torture case The defense pushed back, saying there is video of the alleged victim "having the time of his life" and engaging in activity at odds with having been tortured. The defense attorneys said they obtained a different video from an eyeglass store taken 36 hours before the alleged victim left the townhouse that purportedly shows him smoking a cigarette by himself on the street. "The story that he is selling just doesn't make sense," defense attorney Sam Talkin, who represents Duplessie, told the judge. Prosecutors have not seen the video and Kahn said, "Victims of abuse are not always going to act in a way that we expect people to do." Woeltz and Duplessie were arrested last month. The indictment, which was unsealed on Wednesday, alleges they held the man against his will "with intent to terrorize him" and assaulted him with a chainsaw, pistol and cattle prod. Their attorneys have previously declined to comment on the case. MORE: 2 NYPD detectives employed by suspect in crypto torture case under investigation: Sources Prosecutors have said Woeltz and Duplessie lured the alleged victim -- a 28-year-old man who is not identified in the indictment -- to New York by allegedly threatening to have his family killed. The man told police he arrived in New York on May 6 and went to Woeltz's eight-bedroom SoHo townhouse, where he was allegedly tortured over his Bitcoin password, according to a complaint. After more than two weeks, police said the man escaped from the townhouse on May 23 and ran to a traffic enforcement officer for help. Woeltz and Duplessie were subsequently arrested on charges including kidnapping, assault and unlawful imprisonment. Suspects in New York City crypto torture case plead not guilty to kidnapping and assault originally appeared on
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Bronx boy, 2, found in NYC waters: sources
THE BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) — The body believed to be a 2-year-old Bronx boy who disappeared last month was found in the water near College Point in Queens on Wednesday, sources said. Little Montrell Williams was last seen on May 10 at his grandmother's house in the Bronx, according to police and the family. Queens Harbor Patrol found the body between Throggs Neck Bridge and LaGuardia Airport, and investigators are waiting for Bronx detectives to identify the body, sources said. NYPD divers had been searching the Bronx River since Monday. The father, Arius Willaims, was caught on surveillance video throwing a bag, possibly with the child inside, into the river, sources said. The boy's father told his mom over the weekend that he had thrown their son into the Bronx River. He also told his mother, Sabrina Williams, the boy was still alive. 'He good. He good. Don't worry about it,' the dad told his mom over the weekend. The 17-year-old mom had not seen her son since May 10. Two days later, she went to family court to report that her son was missing, but a warrant was not issued, sources said. She went back a second time pleading for help, but the outcome was unclear because the records are sealed. The mom then followed Williams after he got on a Manhattan-bound train and pressed him about their child, sources said. Williams, who was previously arrested for beating up the teen, then allegedly pulled a knife on her during the encounter, sources said. Williams was arrested and brought back to the Bronx for questioning, but has not been charged, according to sources. He was then held at Rikers Island for custodial interference. The child's grandmother told PIX11 News she had warned police about Montrell's disappearance, but was told it was legal because he was the father. 'My son kidnapped my grandchild out my house,' she said she told police in an interview with PIX11 News on Tuesday. Her son left with Montrell after a fight at a Mother's Day gathering at the grandmother's home. She begged him to bring the baby back before going to the cops on May 11. Sources said detectives believe the boy was not alive when the grandmother went to police to file a missing person's report because the dad turned up at a family member's home on May 11 without Montrell. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Wednesday the department is investigating how the family's missing report was handled. 'The NYPD takes any case of a missing person very seriously,' Tisch said on Good Day New York. This is a developing story. Please refresh the page for updates. Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She has been with PIX11 News for two years. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
NYPD footage captures callous home invaders who allegedly posed as Amazon workers, tied up mom, dad and 3 kids
New NYPD footage captures the callous pair of home invaders who allegedly posed as Amazon workers, tied up an entire family – including three kids – and made off with thousands of dollars in a Queens heist earlier this week. The clip, released by police Tuesday night, shows both perps wearing baseball caps – one carrying an Amazon box and the other wearing a bright-yellow vest – as they casually strolled down the quiet Whitestone block Monday morning. An unsuspecting 43-year-old man answered the door of the single-family home on 12th Avenue near 152nd Street around 7:40 a.m. Monday, before the perps rushed inside – one armed with a gun, authorities said. 3 One of the suspects can be seen toting an Amazon box, and the other wearing a bright yellow vest. NYPD They then forced the family – also including two women, 39 and 18, and two boys, 10 and 5 – into the basement, cops said. The money-hungry fiends tied up the victims and stretched duct tape over their mouths before they ransacked the home, swooping up about $16,000, jewelry, and electronic devices, police said. The brazen duo used the victim's own car, a silver Chrysler minivan, as the getaway vehicle. The car was found abandoned two blocks away, police said. 3 The crew forced the family — including three kids, 5, 10 and 18 — into the basement, cops said. NYPD Witness John Nardone told FreedomNewsTV at the time that he had just climbed out of his car to get to work when he saw the terrified father running out of the house tugging at duct tape on his face. 'I said, 'are you ok?'' Nardone said. 'He said his kids were in the basement.' 'I was wondering if this was real, because of that,' the witness added. 'I've never seen something like that, like a guy come out of his house with duct tape all over his face.' The NYPD is still looking to track down the pair of robbers. 3 The brazen duo allegedly stole about $16,000, jewelry, and electronic devices from the home, cops said. NYPD Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at or on X @NYPDTips.