On Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at approximately 1859 hours, New York City Police Department (NYPD) police officers responded to a 911 call for an aided male, inside of 555 Nereid Avenue, within the confines of the 47th Precinct in the Bronx
Upon arrival, officers observed a 44-year-old male, unconscious and unresponsive, with trauma to the head.
EMS responded and transported the aided male to NYC Health + Hospitals / Jacobi in critical condition.
On Tuesday, January 27, 2026, the victim succumbed to his injuries.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner deemed this incident a homicide.
Following proper family notification, the deceased has been identified as follows.
Victim:
Joel Rivera
address withheld
Bronx, NY 10470
Pursuant to an ongoing investigation, the following 37-year-old male individual was arrested and charged on Saturday, February 14, 2026, at 1942 hours, within the confines of the 47th Precinct.
Arrested:
Richard Vasquez
address withheld
Bronx, NY 10466
Charges:
- murder
The investigation remains ongoing.
All charges are merely accusations and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Anyone with information related to 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 or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
All tips will be kept strictly confidential.
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