U.S. Marshals captured a Dominican national who fled after a hit-and-run that severely injured an on-duty New York City Police Department officer in the Bronx.
Eduard Paulino, 31, was arrested in the Bronx after allegedly striking an NYPD cop with his car and fleeing the scene. He was wanted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after being released from jail for another alleged assault in September.
The NYPD officer had responded to a large, rowdy gathering Saturday, Oct. 17 in the in the South Bronx. During the investigation, a man got into a white Honda SUV and allegedly drove in reverse and then accelerated toward the officer, the New York Post reported.
Paulino was identified as the driver involved in the hit-and-run. The officer told the suspect to stop. Instead of complying, the man struck the officer with the vehicle and injured his legs and hip, according to the criminal complaint.
U.S. Marshals capture suspect accused of running down NYPD officer in Hunts Point
────────────The man accused of seriously injuring an NYPD officer in a hit-and-run in Hunts Point, Bronx, on Saturday has been arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Eduard Paulino,… pic.twitter.com/g6aLu1djx3
— Crime In NYC (@Crime_In_NYC) October 19, 2026
He reportedly sped up a second time and hit the officer in the leg, causing him to fall to the ground, the complaint said, and then drove over him again before fleeing.
The injured officer was rushed to Lincoln Hospital for emergency trauma care, the U.S. Marshals Service said in a news release. He sustained injuries including severe pain, bruising, redness and swelling to his legs, ankles, knees, hips and back.
The USMS Southern District of New York and the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force located and arrested Paulino Monday, Oct. 19.
“There is nowhere to hide in New York for individuals who choose violence against law enforcement,” Ricky J. Patel, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement. “If you assault those who wear the shield to protect this city, the full weight of federal and local law enforcement will find you.”
The Bronx District Attorney’s Office filed charges for attempted murder of a police officer, assault, vehicular assault, reckless endangerment, reckless driving and disorderly conduct.
The vehicle ramming comes a month after Paulino, an illegal migrant from the Dominican Republic, was arrested for allegedly attacking a stranger in a parking lot.
He illegally crossed the border in 2023 and was let back on the street despite an immigration detainer, the New York Post reported. He was arrested for misdemeanor assault and harassment but released thanks to New York City’s cashless bail and sanctuary policies.
Former U.S. Department of Homeland Security Senior Advisor Todd Bensman spoke to Fox News about his prior release and New York’s soft-on-crime policies. He said he wouldn’t be surprised if some wealthy do-gooder came forward to post his bail.
News of Paulino’s arrest came as ICE announced that it had lodged immigration detainers against the two Dominican nationals accused of brutally stabbing of an off-duty NYPD detective earlier this month in the Bronx.
Bensman blamed the city’s elected officials and sanctuary policies for encouraging illegal immigrants to resist law enforcement and fueling an anti-ICE, anti-police sentiment.
“They run from ICE,” he said. “They fight ICE. They fight the police. They just don’t care about the police.”
According to the Post, Paulino was arrested for a Sept. 14 assault, where he reportedly punched a stranger after an argument over parking turned into an altercation.
He repeatedly punched a 29-year-old man in the face in the Bronx. Both men were arrested and faced the same charges, prosecutors said.
The charges for misdemeanor assault and harassment are not bail-eligible under the state’s bail-reform laws. Paulino was released on his own recognizance even though he was identified as an illegal immigrant and ICE lodged a detainer, the Post reported.
“This particular Dominican was released after violently pummeling a citizen in New York, so this was a violent charge,” Bensman said on Fox. “And they inflicted this Dominican back on New York’s people, and in this case, on a police officer who was hospitalized with severe injuries.”
Cashless bail or no bail is the “order of the day” in progressive cities like New York and indicative of a widespread problem in Democratic-controlled cities all across the country, Bensman said.
“This is very, very common. I don’t understand why they won’t fix this,” he added. “There’s a lot of irony, too, about the fact they won’t let police officers turn suspects over to ICE or call ICE to come get them when there’s a legitimate detainer on one of these guys.”
