Story by Ethan
On August 11th, 2026, the arrest of Jayden Mendoza, age 18, was announced by Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark. Jayden Mendoza was charged with two counts of first-degree Attempted Murder, two counts of first-degree Attempted Assault, two counts of second-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon, two counts of second-degree Assault, and third-degree Criminal Possession of Stolen Property. The arrest and charges against Jayden Mendoza were a result of an investigation handled by the New York Police Department’s Force Investigation Division.
According to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, at approximately 5:30 p.m. on June 21st, 2026, a license plate reader located on the University Heights Bridge picked up the license plate of a reportedly stolen Kia Sportage crossing from Manhattan into the Bronx. This led to six unmarked NYPD vehicles surrounding the Kia as it was stopped at the intersection of East Fordham Road and Webster Avenue. Both NYPD Sergeant Yousef Abdallah and Officer Nicholas Gluth approached the vehicle and identified the driver to be Jayden Mendoza while instructing him to exit the car. Instead of complying, the defendant began to accelerate the Kia in the direction of the two officers. Sergeant Yousef Abdallah was struck by the vehicle while Officer Nicholas Gluth jumped onto the hood of a nearby parked car and fired three shots into the Kia’s windshield. All three shots struck Jayden Mendoza, and both him and Sergeant Yousef Abdallah were taken to St. Barnabas Hospital for emergency treatment. Sergeant Yousef Abdallah was treated for a laceration to the back of his head while Jayden Mendoza underwent emergency surgery for gunshot wounds to his abdomen, right arm, and right leg. A court-authorized search warrant was executed on the stolen Kia that recovered a loaded semi-automatic firearm in a bag in the backseat.
The Bronx District Attorney’s Office stated that the charges against Jayden Mendoza are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
