As the family of 14-year-old Ángel Miguel Mendoza Hernández grieve for him after he was fatally stabbed in a brutal gang assault during daylight hours in a packed Williamsbridge Oval park in Norwood on Tuesday, Aug. 5, and as two suspects remain at large, one young person said local youth plan to protect themselves, having seemingly lost faith that the police will do so.

 

Miguel Mendoza, Ángel’s brokenhearted father who lives with his family in Norwood said they are “destroyed.” Norwood News asked Mendoza what his son, who had just turned 14 in June, was like as a young child. Speaking in Spanish, he said, “A good person, a marvel, a quiet little boy, friendly. He never had a problem with anyone. He was a child who got on easily with others and was very friendly. He was very smiley, a marvelous person.”

 

Asked what his interests were, Mendoza said Ángel was into basketball and didn’t really like football. He said his son attended local P.S. 80 and was due to start high school in September. Asked if he had known the 17-year-old victim who police said was also stabbed during the attack and is currently hospitalized, the father of three said he did not.

 

Norwood News also spoke to “Mo,” who said he was Ángel’s afterschool teacher at Norwood’s P.S./M.S. 20 around two years ago. “I want to send my condolences to his family, to his friends, all the alumni, and this and that,” he said. Smiling as he recalled fond memories of the youngster, Mo said, “You know, he was a good kid, always had a smile, always was on the bike too….for those who know, you know. Yeah, sending my condolences.”

 

We mentioned that someone had left a basketball at the memorial site erected in the Oval in memory of the youngster. Mo said Ángel had been on the afterschool basketball team and was a good player. Asked if he was little or tall, he laughed and said, “Little… [He] liked to shoot the hoops, ride a bike, soccer, everything, everything.”

 

As reported, police said that at around 7.32 p.m. on Tuesday, police responded to a 911 call regarding an assault in progress at Williamsbridge Oval Playground. “Upon arrival, officers observed a 17-year-old male with stab wounds to his abdomen and shoulder, and a 14-year-old male with multiple stab wounds throughout his body.”

They said the 17-year-old male was transported by private means to Montefiore Medical Center in Norwood and is in stable condition. “The 14-year-old male was transported by EMS to NYC Health and Hospitals/Jacobi [in Morris Park] in critical condition where he was pronounced deceased by hospital staff,” they said.

 

As reported, police initially said five juveniles had been arrested for possession of a gun and a knife immediately after the incident on Tuesday evening. They said four people have been charged with murder.

 

For more on the incident, initial reaction from elected officials, and prior measures proposed by Bronx Community Board 7 to promote safety in local parks, read our initial story here. Residents have since called again for more security in Bronx parks, as reported.

Meanwhile, two GoFundMe pages have been set-up, one to help the family with funeral expenses and one to assist with the transfer costs of Angel’s body to the Dominican Republic. The accompanying text in English on the one relating to funeral expense costs, which so far has raised $2,825, reads as follows:

 

“In Loving Memory of Ángel Miguel Mendoza

It is with heavy hearts that we share the tragic and senseless loss of 14-year-old Ángel Miguel Mendoza, who was fatally stabbed in Williamsbridge Oval Park in the Bronx, NY. Ángel was a kind, calm, and loving young soul whose life was taken far too soon.

On behalf of the Mendoza family, we are asking for your support during this unimaginable time. The family is devastated and struggling to cope with the sudden loss of their beloved son.

We are organizing a fundraiser to support them during this incredibly difficult time and to help ease some of the financial burden that comes with such a tragedy. Now more than ever, they need our love and support.

Any contribution, no matter the size, will make a meaningful difference. Please consider donating or sharing this campaign to help us support his grieving family.

Thank you for your compassion, generosity, and prayers.

— With love and gratitude,

The Mendoza Family”

 

The accompanying text for the second page for the transfer of his body, which so far has raised $3,754, reads in English as follows: “Help me to send Ángel Miguel back home. Ángel is a 14 year old kid. He was brutally killed at a park in the bronx. The family needs our help. We are trying to raise funds for family suport and expenses and to send the body back to dominican republic and to cover some of the travel costs. Any contribution is greatly appreciated.”

Norwood News asked GoFundMe to confirm if both links have been validated as legitimate and were informed that they have been.

 

As reported, State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and Council Member Eric Dinowitz (C.D. 11) issued statements on the tragedy in recent days, vowing to support Ángel’s family through their loss.

 

Assemblyman John Zaccaro Jr. (A.D. 80) later said in part in relation to a joint letter he sent with other elected officials to the police commissioner dated Aug. 7, “Enough is enough. The tragic murder and the critical injury of 2 teenagers at Oval park is a wake-up call for our community. I joined @EricDinowitzNYC and @JeffreyDinowitz in a letter to @NYPDPC calling for swift action.”

 

He added, “Let us be clear — this is not a request for a study, a working group, or a round of discussions. This is a demand for swift, decisive action to stop the violence and reclaim this park for the community.”

 

The assemblyman later wrote, “Last week, a horrible stabbing in Williamsbridge Oval Park resulted in the murder of a 14 year old and left a 17 year old in critical condition. I joined this letter with Council Member Eric Dinowitz and Assembly Member John Zaccaro Jr., demanding NYPD take immediate action, including installation of security cameras and increased uniform presence so [that] something like this will not reoccur.”

 

Norwood News spoke to a friend of Ángel’s in the Williamsbridge Oval park on Friday, Aug. 8, who said she didn’t know him very well but was familiar with the local scene. “There’s always been gun violence and police brutality throughout the neighborhood and I’ve been coming to the park my entire life,” she said. “It’s a tragedy to see this sh*t continuing to go on. It’s been generations on generations. It’s like, when is the police gonna do something, you know?”

 

The young girl, estimated to be about 15, continued, “We’re just tired, Bro. We’re just tired. We’re just over it. There’s nothing much to say in regards to that. It’s just another day. We just take it by the chin. It’s all we can do because we can say whatever we want to say but nothing has happened [to prevent such tragedies]. It’s been happening for years.”

 

She continued, “We speak. All we can do is use our voice as much as we can, but sometimes our voice begins to crack and we get tired, and our voice begins to get dry. How much more words can we use? How much more can we project? There’s only so much we can handle as human beings. We’re tired. That’s it. We’re tired. We’re exhausted.”

 

The young girl added, “But, there’s only so much we can do you know, so we’re going to take matters into our own hands as a community and stick together and protect our community. The police is not doing so. Unfortunately, they’re not doing enough. They’re getting paid a lot of tax dollars to protect us and serve, but we’re not being protected, and we’re definitely not being served. We’re only being harassed. Every time they could around to the park, they just pass by us. All they did was watch.”

 

She added, “They don’t even come up to us and give condolences. The police doesn’t do anything. All they do is come, take the kid, arrest people, and not ask how we feel, if we’re ok, do we need anything, talk to someone, give us a card, reach out to the police if anything else happens, if someone sees something, say something….nothing!”

She concluded, “So, we’re just tired. We don’t really care about the police. We have each other’s backs. We’re family and we’re going to stick beside each other at the end of the day, so we don’t need the police. We’re ok and we’re going to continue to be ok.” She gave her blessings to all and wished everyone well. Norwood News has reached out to the NYPD for comment and will share any feedback we receive.

 

The young teen also said she believes the attack on Ángel was planned and that she had noticed other groups hanging out in the park in the weeks leading up to the incident who she said she did not recognize.

As reported, a local resident had also said that on the day of the stabbing, she had noticed a large group in the park on bikes who appeared to be agitating the local community and had reported it to the Parks department at around 3.30 p.m. and had been informed that Parks employees were “not supposed to say” anything [to such group] as such matters were for Parks Enforcement Patrol Officers (PEPs).

Norwood News asked the NYC Parks’ press office if the representative passed on the resident’s concerns to the PEPs. We did not receive an immediate response. It is unknown currently if the group in question had anything to do with the stabbings. As reported, Bronx Community Board 7 has long called for more PEPs and more cameras in local parks.

 

On Friday, Aug. 8, meanwhile, speaking on Fox 5’s Good Day NY, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch called on New York State to do more to combat the City’s mental health crisis. “We need capacity in our hospitals to care for people suffering from severe mental illness,” Tisch said.  “Our cops bring people to the hospital thousands of times a year who are in mental health distress. They get released two hours later with a sandwich.”

 

She added, “We need to care for these people. New York State needs a different approach in caring for and treating people with mental health issues, and it can’t be the police department always being called to do everything.”

 

Norwood News had reached out to B.R.A.G. (Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence) in the aftermath of Ángel’s death to ask if the group also organized gatherings to call for peace in the neighborhood after fatal knife crimes in addition to gun violence crimes, and they said they did though they said the Williamsbridge Oval was not part of their coverage area. They said, nonetheless, with the family’s consent, they could organize something. Norwood News explained the purpose of the group to the family accordingly.

 

Meanwhile, Carrie Shumway wrote to Norwood News, saying, ‘I wanted to share North Central Bronx [hospital] offers free “Stop the Bleed” training to both staff and community members. I just added some dates in September and October, and would love to get this info out to the community mourning the stabbing death at the Oval this week.” Residents can sign up for the training sessions via the following link.

 

Another memorial site with flowers, photos of Ángel, candles and message tributes was seen outside the family’s Norwood home not far from Ángel’s  school on Webster Avenue the day after the tragedy. The family were later seen surrounded by neighbors and friends on Friday, Aug. 8, outside their home gathered around the memorial where white balloons had later been added. Most neighbors had already declined to comment on the stabbing, adding that they just wanted to support the family.

As reported, as various community and wellness leaders gathered at a circle of healing event in the Williamsbridge Oval on Tuesday evening, Aug. 12, as part of a preorganized effort to help local youth process their feelings following the fatal stabbing of Ángel, the peaceful gathering was abruptly and seemingly deliberately and maliciously disrupted by a group of motorized bike riders.

 

Meanwhile, written in chalk at the memorial site to Ángel in the Oval, among other messages were the words, “The storm will never clear.” Let’s hope that’s not the case for the sake of the next generation.

 

For more on the topic of general NYC Parks security, click here. For more on the general topic of camera installation and use in New York City, click here, here, here, here and here.

 

To access the two GoFundMe pages, click here to help the family with funeral expenses, and here to help with the transfer of Ángel’s body to the Dominican Republic.

 

Help is available for anyone dealing with mental health issues. Read our recent health check here. For immediate mental health support in New York City, anyone can contact NYC Well 24/7 by calling 888-NYC-WELL (692-9355), texting “WELL” to 65173, or visiting NYC.gov for online chat. For crisis situations, dialing 988 connects individuals to free, confidential crisis counseling and support. 

 

Anyone with information regarding this incident 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 https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, on X @NYPDTips.

All calls are strictly confidential.

 

*Miriam Quinones contributed to this story.