2 Men Who Shot Border Patrol Agent In NYC Arraigned On State Charges

NEW YORK CITY — Two men accused of shooting an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent in Upper Manhattan last month have been arraigned on state charges, prosecutors said.

Miguel Mora Nunez, 21, and Christhian Aybar-Berroa, 22, are already facing federal charges in connection with the shooting. Mora remains in a local hospital and was arraigned virtually.

In the state case, both men face robbery, assault and criminal possession of a weapon charges. Mora faces two counts of attempted murder, prosecutors said.

“Even while off duty on a summer night, this officer quickly leapt into action in an act of bravery,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said. “We are committed to the safety of law enforcement officers in Manhattan, as demonstrated by this in-depth investigation and today’s serious charges. I thank DHS’s Homeland Security Investigations for its collaboration.”

Both men have pleaded not guilty to charges.

Nunez and Aybar-Berroa were both arrested after the off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was shot in the face and arm on July 19, Patch previously reported.

The officer, 42, was sitting with a friend at Riverside Park in Washington Heights just before midnight on July 19 when two men rode up on a scooter, Jessica Tisch, the police commissioner, said.

One of the suspects approached the officer and drew a gun with the intent to rob him, Tisch said. The robber fired first, and then the officer fired back at him, Tisch said.

The officer was taken to a local hospital in stable condition. He has since been released from the hospital, officials said.

According to police, Aybar-Berroa dropped Mora Nunez off at a hospital in the Bronx before he fled on a moped.

Nunez, an immigrant, who entered the country illegally in 2023, has been arrested twice before for domestic violence, officials said, and is a suspect in a 2024 robbery and a 2025 stabbing, both in the Bronx, officials said.

The two suspects are scheduled to appear in court on December 3rd, prosecutors said.