Classmates, community leaders rally for teen killed in random attack
On the corner of East 216th Street and Barnes Avenue is where friends and classmates mourned Caleb Rijos.
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Classmates and community leaders rallied in Williamsbridge in memory of Caleb Rijos, a 14-year-old who was killed on his way to school.
On the corner of East 216th Street and Barnes Avenue is where friends and classmates mourned Caleb Rijos.
“I still think it’s not real, I just think that maybe Caleb will show up one day and we’ll have a great time again together," said Zavier Lennox, a friend of Rijos.
The 14-year-old was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack while on his way to school last Friday.
"He was kind, intelligent, he was a really nice person," recalled Joshua Green, a friend of Rijos.
Rijos was a football player with big dreams and a member of the Bronx Youth Empowerment group.
"It's unacceptable for people to be killed, kids being killed by crazies on the street, no more can we tolerate this," said Andy King, a community activist and founder of Bronx Youth Empowerment.
While Rijos did not know his attacker, Waldo Mejia, he was known to the police and had a violent rap sheet and a history of mental health issues.
Video obtained by News 12, shows Mejia try to smash his neighbor's Ring doorbell camera with a knife in November 2024. He plead not guilty to the charge and was released on his own recognizance.
Police records indicate Mejia was also arrested in 2017 for carrying a loaded 9 mm gun and charged with arson after setting fire to a building.
"This should never have happened, Caleb deserved to be protected to live out his dreams, the justice system needs to do better," said one of Rijo's classmates.
Police also believe that Mejia is responsible for stabbing a man in the arm at the 138th Street and Third Avenue station on Jan. 5, five days before the teen was killed.
