Cristian Aybar Berroa, an individual from the Dominican Republic who illegally entered the United States around the year 2022, has been arrested for his involvement in the shooting of an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer in New York City. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Berroa was released into the country on interim parole pending his immigration hearing, but he was not immediately detained. His history of criminal activity includes multiple arrests for charges related to reckless endangerment and grand larceny, which occurred between 2023 and 2024. Following an arrest in April 2024, despite an active ICE detainer, he was released back onto the streets of New York City. This was highlighted by the DHS in a statement.
Further, Berroa was arrested again by the New York City Police Department in February 2025 for additional offenses such as second-degree reckless endangerment, reckless driving, and driving without a license. These charges led to a guilty plea for petit larceny at the Bronx County Supreme Court in June 2025, consolidating all previous charges. He was conditionally discharged and allowed to continue living in New York City. A final order of removal was issued against Berroa in January 2023, indicating that he had been deemed a threat to public safety by authorities. He and Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, the other suspect, are now facing federal charges in the shooting that occurred at Fort Washington Park. This incident, described as an attempted robbery, resulted in the off-duty CBP officer being shot in the arm and cheek but remaining in stable condition at a hospital. While the shooting was not fatal, it has raised concerns about the safety of off-duty law enforcement personnel and the consequences of not removing individuals with serious criminal backgrounds from the streets.
Meanwhile, officials from the Department of Homeland Security have expressed dissatisfaction with the so-called ‘sanctuary’ policies, which they believe contributed to the circumstances that allowed individuals like Berroa to remain in the United States. Additionally, the incident has been linked to an earlier armed robbery in Leominster, Massachusetts, where store owners were reportedly bound with duct tape and held at gunpoint. The two suspects in that case are believed to be the same individuals involved in the shooting, highlighting the potential for such criminal behavior to escalate. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch provided further insight, stating that Berroa was the driver of the scooter during the shooting. She mentioned he had been arrested multiple times between March and April 2024 for robberies involving a scooter in the Bronx and is a suspect in at least four additional cases. The shooting has sparked discussions about how immigration enforcement and criminal justice systems can better cooperate to prevent such incidents, which have significant implications for public safety and law enforcement operations.