Two teenagers now face murder charges after a 17-year-old boy was chased, beaten, and stabbed in the neck on a busy Queens street in the middle of a Friday afternoon—an attack that still lacks a publicly known motive.
Josue Argudo was walking near Jamaica Avenue and 76th Street in Woodhaven shortly before 4 p.m. Friday when he crossed paths with Derek Trejo, 18, and a 17-year-old whose name is withheld because of his age. Within minutes, Argudo was sprinting for his life, bolting down the sidewalk with the pair in pursuit, according to the NY Post.
Security video shows the pursuers catching up, knocking Argudo to the pavement, and repeatedly striking him. Witnesses thought they were watching a fist-fight until Argudo slumped over, blood pouring from a neck wound that would prove fatal.
Neighbors ran outside, performed CPR, and flagged down paramedics. Argudo arrived at Jamaica Hospital in critical condition and died hours later. By Sunday morning, detectives had both suspects in custody; each has now been charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
Unknown Motive, Maximum Violence
Investigators say the teenagers did not know Argudo, leaving residents and police scrambling for a reason behind the brutality. “What a sin,” one onlooker told local reporters, describing how the teen collapsed in front of a neighborhood bodega.
The alleged killers were captured on separate cameras calmly leaving the scene, hoods up, faces visible. Released images generated tips that led detectives to their doors less than 48 hours after the homicide.
A Pattern of Teen Violence the City Cannot Ignore
Friday’s killing is the third high-profile slaying involving teenagers in Queens since late 2024. NYPD data obtained by Reuters show felony assaults committed by suspects under 18 up 14% city-wide year-over-year, even as overall major crime has dipped. Advocates attribute part of the spike to post-pandemic school disengagement and a flourishing social-media beef culture that escalates disputes before adults notice.
- City juvenile assault arrests rose from 1,087 in 2023 to 1,239 in 2024.
- Knife recoveries from public-school students hit a five-year high last month.
- Queens logged 32 homicides in 2025; five had suspects or victims under 20.
“We’re seeing disputes that start on Snapchat end on the sidewalk,” a Queens detective told NY Post reporters.
What Happens Next
Trejo is charged as an adult; prosecutors can seek a sentence of 25 years to life if he is convicted. The 17-year-old co-defendant will initially face charges in family court, though the district attorney may move to have him tried in the youth-part of criminal court, where longer juvenile sentences are possible for serious felonies.
Both teens were ordered held without bail at Sunday arraignment. Their next court date is set for late January, when prosecutors must present grand-jury indictments or reduce the charges.
Community Reels, Demands Action
Jamaica Avenue shopkeepers closed early Sunday so employees could attend a vigil that drew more than 200 people. Elected officials renewed calls for expanded after-school programs, mental-health outreach, and a return to neighborhood-based violence-interrupter teams whose funding was trimmed in recent budgets.
Meanwhile, Argudo’s family launched a GoFundMe for funeral costs, describing the teen as “a quiet kid who loved soccer and wanted to be an engineer.”
Until police reveal what sparked the fatal chase, the corner of Jamaica Avenue and 76th Street remains a makeshift memorial of candles and handwritten notes—another Queens block confronting the human cost of teenage violence.
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