LI man arrested for fatally stabbing wheel rim thief: cops

BELLEROSE, N.Y. (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- A Long Island man was charged with manslaughter after he fatally stabbed a New York City man who was stealing the wheel rims off an SUV outside his home, Nassau County police said Friday.

Jacob Alvarenga Mejia, 28, faces charges of first-degree manslaughter and first-degree assault after his arrest Thursday in connection with the deadly encounter in Bellerose on May 13.

Alvarenga Mejia was inside his home at Jericho Turnpike and Pennsylvania Boulevard at 1:30 a.m. that morning when he noticed three men trying to steal the rims off his 2023 Toyota Highlander parked outside, police said.

He walked outside with a large kitchen knife and allegedly stabbed one of the men multiple times in his upper torso, according to police.

The two uninjured men fled with the stabbed man and took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The deceased was identified as Luis Pena, 22, of the Bronx.

Alvarenga Mejia was arrested without incident Thursday morning following an investigation by Nassau police and the NYPD. He was scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Hempstead.