A heartbroken Bronx mother is speaking out after the 12-year-old boy she had just given a bicycle to was tragically shot dead while riding it—and she’s directing her anger straight at Mayor Zohran Mamdani, demanding he finally clean up the gang-plagued streets where the violence unfolded.
Miledy Rosario, a mother of four, says she handed down a used bike to young Jacob Freytes on Friday, and the grateful boy pedaled off with a smile. The next day, Jacob rode that same bike to a nearby bodega in the Mount Eden neighborhood, where authorities say he was struck by a stray bullet during a suspected gang-related shooting.
Now Rosario is furious, calling out the mayor for what she sees as a failure to curb the ongoing gang presence on that very block.
“I feel that the mayor that’s celebrating in the parade right now should take better care of this block, because there’s a lot of gang members,” Rosario said, referencing Mamdani’s appearance at the Bronx Dominican parade on Sunday. She added that this wasn’t an isolated incident—that shootings have happened there before—and she warned that without a serious cleanup, the same tragedy will repeat.
According to sources, the Mount Eden area is known territory for the Trinitarios and Sev Side Pinni street gangs, and investigators are reportedly looking into whether they were behind the shooting. One suspect, William Ferrer, has been arrested and faces charges in connection with Jacob’s death, court documents show. Ferrer has a lengthy arrest record dating back to 1999, including 𝒹𝓇𝓊𝑔 and theft charges.
The 12-year-old victim’s father is retired NYPD Sergeant Jesus Freytes, who once served in the same Bronx precinct where the shooting occurred, law enforcement sources confirmed.
Rosario’s own 12-year-old daughter, Marlyn, was a close friend of Jacob’s. The two families lived near each other, and Jacob often played basketball with the Rosario kids using a small hoop he set up outside their door.
“My kids are traumatized,” said Daniel Rosario, Miledy’s husband. “My daughter was crying all night. My son told me, ‘Dad, I won’t be able to play basketball no more.’”
In a statement Saturday, Mayor Mamdani expressed grief over the loss, saying, “Our children should be able to ride their bikes on a nice summer day in their neighborhood without fear of being shot. We cannot accept this violence as normal.”
But for a mother who watched a cheerful 12-year-old ride away on a gift bike just hours before he was killed, those words ring hollow until change happens on the ground.
What will it take for city leaders to actually stop the bloodshed on these corners?
