A youth gang tied to the vicious Venezuelan Tren de Aragua crew is ominously threatening revenge after a 17-year-old migrant was fatally stabbed in a Manhattan street brawl, cops said.
Los Diablos de la 42 — named for the location of the notorious Roosevelt Hotel migrant shelter — are posting their threats on social media after the fatal brawl that left teen Yeremi Colino dead last week, according to authorities
Though neither of the victims have a documented gang connection, “Los Diablos de la 42,” a subset of the vicious Tren de Aragua gang, vowed retaliation on social media after the slaying – indicating at least a familiarity with the crew, according to Savino and sources.
“They offered their condolences and noted that their heart is broken, but they also stated, ‘Every Cocolo shot,’” Assistant Chief Jason Savino of the NYPD’s Detective Bureau told reporters Monday. “A Cocolo is described as Afro-Caribbean migrants, so there is a little bit of a gang beef, and that obviously plays towards motive as well.”
The brawl that killed Colino broke out on Broadway near John Street on Thursday at around 7:30 p.m., with the teen getting punched, kicked and stabbed during the fracas, officials said.
A Walgreens employee witnessed the violence – and, “in typical New York fashion” – pulled the heavily bleeding Colino into the drug store with the knife still lodged in his chest, Savino said.
The gravely wounded teen, who was carrying ID from the Roosevelt shelter, was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, cops said.
Another victim, 18 – also believed to be a migrant – was knifed in the left arm and suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the fracas, cops said.
“All indications at this point, as far as motive is concerned, is that this is a crew-motivated incident,” Savino added.
A member of the victim’s crew told investigators that their rivals were flashing gang signs, the police official added.
“Their response was they wanted to confront them as to why they flashed gang signs, and that’s ultimately the story from the victim’s side,” Savino said.
However, surveillance footage reveals the victims’ crew may have been the aggressors, Savino noted.
“They’re traveling towards the group of six male blacks, and what they’re doing is they’re actually calling and at one point, jogging towards that opposing group,” Savino said. “Ultimately, the two groups engage, and I will say this — both sides both had weapons.”
“The victim actually swings an unknown object in a downward motion just prior to being stabbed by one of the perpetrators,” he said.
In addition to the knife, two wooden sticks were recovered from the scene in addition to a pair of pliers, according to Savino.
While initial reports indicated the suspects asked the teen victims if they could speak English before launching the attack, Savino said Monday that there is no indication of that exchange.
Video released by the NYPD Monday night shows three suspects backing away and running off after the deadly clash.
The suspects fled into the nearby Fulton Street subway station, cops said.
Still photos show the crew on the train, one seen from behind with an image of lips on his backpack.
Anyone with information on the deadly crime 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.
