The New York City Police Department has released body-camera footage of a tense confrontation in the Bronx in which an officer opened fire on the driver of a stolen vehicle, an encounter that ended with two men in custody and the department now reviewing whether the use of force was justified.
The incident happened around 6 p.m. on June 21 on East Fordham Road. Police said the driver, identified as 18-year-old Jaden Mendoza, was in a stolen vehicle and was attempting to park when officers in unmarked cars swarmed the car, with helicopter footage capturing the scene from above as it began to unfold.
According to police, Mendoza refused to step out of the vehicle. Instead, they said, he backed into an NYPD cruiser before ramming into Sergeant Yousef Abdallah. A second officer, Nicholas Gloop, jumped onto a car to avoid being struck as the situation rapidly escalated on the busy street.
Officers, police said, were unaware at the time that Mendoza was driving with a passenger, 20-year-old Angel Robles, who authorities say was carrying a loaded gun. On the newly released body-worn camera footage, officers can be heard shouting warnings at Mendoza in the moments before shots were fired.
Police said a total of three bullets were fired during the confrontation. Despite the gunfire, Mendoza survived the encounter, and both he and his passenger were ultimately taken into custody as officers moved in and secured the scene on the busy Bronx thoroughfare.
Mendoza is now facing attempted murder charges in connection with the episode, while Robles has been charged with criminal possession of a loaded firearm. The charges reflect what police described as a dangerous sequence that put officers directly in harm's way in a matter of seconds.
The NYPD said that over the coming weeks it will investigate the incident closely to determine whether the officer's use of force was justified. The release of the body-camera footage is part of that review, offering a detailed view of an encounter that played out quickly on East Fordham Road.