Illegal immigrants accused of stabbing NYPD detective to be arraigned
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A Honduran man whom federal authorities say was unlawfully present in the United States allegedly climbed onto his truck and repeatedly swung a hammer at Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during a traffic stop in New Jersey this month, federal prosecutors said.
Reinieri De Jesus Licona Amador, 27, faces charges of assaulting federal officers. He appeared Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth A. Pascal in federal court in Camden, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.
“Federal officers put themselves in harm’s way to enforce the law and protect the public,” U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer said in a statement.
“When an individual responds to a traffic stop by attacking an officer with a hammer, that conduct threatens not only the officer’s safety but the rule of law itself,” Frazer continued. “We will not allow violent attacks on federal officers to go unanswered and will hold those responsible accountable under the law.”
Federal prosecutors allege that a man climbed onto the passenger-side door of his truck and repeatedly swung a hammer at ICE officers during an attempted arrest in Gibbsboro, New Jersey. (U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.)
The confrontation began during a targeted ICE operation in Gibbsboro, where officers ran a license-plate check on a truck traveling through the area, federal prosecutors said.
According to the criminal complaint, the truck was registered to Licona Amador. A review of immigration records allegedly showed that he did not have lawful status in the United States.
Officers then activated their emergency lights and pulled over Licona Amador’s truck, prosecutors said.
Federal prosecutors said Reinieri De Jesus Licona Amador allegedly climbed onto his truck’s passenger-side door and repeatedly swung a hammer at ICE officers during an Oct. 4 confrontation in Gibbsboro, New Jersey. (U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.)
As officers approached, they allegedly saw Licona Amador reach into a tool container in the back seat and take hold of a hammer, according to the complaint.
Prosecutors said officers ordered him to stop moving, but he refused. Officers then opened the vehicle door and tried to pull him from the truck.
He allegedly pulled away and moved toward the passenger side, where officers made another unsuccessful attempt to restrain him.
Licona Amador then climbed out of the passenger side while holding the hammer and continued to ignore repeated commands from officers, the complaint alleges.
ICE officers were allegedly threatened with a hammer during a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Gibbsboro, New Jersey, on Oct. 4, 2026. (U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey)
He allegedly climbed onto the passenger-side door and swung the hammer repeatedly at the officers, prosecutors said.
Officers responded by deploying oleoresin capsicum spray, commonly known as pepper spray, before wrestling Licona Amador to the ground, prosecutors said.
He was arrested without injury. If convicted of assaulting federal officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon, he could face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.