Bronx, NY – A Bronx man accused of randomly stabbing a 14-year-old boy to death while he waited for a school bus has been indicted on murder and attempted murder charges tied to two separate attacks days apart, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Waldo Mejia, 29, allegedly stabbed teenager Caleb Rijos multiple times in the heart and lungs on Jan. 10 near Lincoln Avenue and East 138th Street, according to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said the attack happened without warning as the teen prepared to head to school.
Caleb managed to call his father for help before collapsing in the street, authorities said. He later died at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln.
Teen’s Final Moments Shocked the Bronx
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark described the killing as one of two “random, horrific acts of violence” allegedly committed by Mejia within five days.
“Caleb’s death shocked and saddened the city,” Clark said in a statement announcing the indictment. “The defendant allegedly stabbed 14-year-old Caleb Rijos on his way to school, who used his last breath to try to speak to his father.”
According to investigators, the teenager was standing at a bus stop around 10 a.m. when Mejia allegedly approached from behind while Caleb looked in another direction.
Prosecutors said Mejia repeatedly stabbed the teen in the chest, puncturing his heart and lungs.
A bystander flagged down an ambulance after Caleb collapsed on the street.
Key Points
• Bronx prosecutors indicted Waldo Mejia in the fatal stabbing of 14-year-old Caleb Rijos
• Investigators said the teen was attacked while waiting for a school bus on Jan. 10
• Mejia also faces charges in a separate subway stabbing that critically injured another victim
Separate Subway Attack Allegedly Happened Days Earlier
The indictment also charges Mejia in a violent subway station stabbing that occurred five days before Caleb’s death.
According to prosecutors, a 38-year-old man was attacked around 3:50 a.m. on Jan. 5 inside the No. 6 train station at East 138th Street and Alexander Avenue.
Investigators allege Mejia followed the victim into a station stairwell and stabbed him in the arm and chest.
The knife allegedly severed the victim’s brachial artery, causing life-threatening injuries that required intensive care treatment and multiple surgeries.
Authorities said the attacks appeared random.
Clark also pointed to broader concerns involving untreated mental illness and violent crime.
“We must do more to address underlying mental health issues and get services to people before they can harm others,” the district attorney said.
Defendant Previously Ruled Unfit Before Restoration
Mejia was arraigned Tuesday on charges including second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
Bronx Supreme Court Justice Timothy Lewis ordered him held without bail. He is due back in court on Aug. 18.
Prosecutors said Mejia had previously been found mentally unfit to stand trial in March 2025 but was later deemed restored to fitness in October 2025.
The case is being prosecuted by the Bronx District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau with assistance from NYPD investigators assigned to homicide, robbery and transit crime squads.
As the criminal case moves forward, the killing of Caleb Rijos continues to resonate across the Bronx, where residents and community leaders previously mourned the teenager’s death and raised concerns about random violence in public spaces.