A former NYPD cadet who was stabbed while protecting a civilian during a mental health crisis at a Queens precinct has officially joined the ranks of New York’s Finest.
Javiar Elcock, 24, graduated from the NYPD Police Academy on May 8, nearly two years after he was injured during a violent encounter at the 102nd Precinct in Richmond Hill. The attack could have ended his dream of becoming a police officer — but instead, it only strengthened his resolve.
“I never saw myself as being a hero. It actually made me more excited to get on the job,” Elcock said.
Born in Guyana, Elcock immigrated to the United States with his three brothers as a child. He said his goal has always been to honor the sacrifices his family made to give him a better life.
“I want to make it seem like he brought me here for something, and I am just drawn towards law enforcement,” Elcock said. “I like seeing other people happy.”
Elcock joined the NYPD Cadet Corps in 2023, a paid internship program for aspiring officers. On Aug. 9, 2023, while taking reports at the front desk of the 102nd Precinct, he encountered a man suffering a mental health episode. The man said he believed he was being followed and officers called an ambulance for him.
As Elcock stepped outside the precinct to take a phone call, the emotionally disturbed man suddenly began chasing another civilian who had entered the stationhouse. Without hesitation, Elcock stepped between the two men to de-escalate the situation.
“I didn’t see a knife in his hand,” he recalled. “I got in between him to stop him from catching the first guy, and at the same time I got in his way — that’s when the knife connected to my upper left chest.”
The attacker, identified as Nicholas Melchor, was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon. Elcock was saved by a protective vest issued to cadets that stopped the blade from penetrating his chest.
“I looked down, and I was like, oh, I got stabbed,” Elcock said. “They took my shirt off, and it went straight through the shirt to the steel plate as well. I was shocked.”
Elcock returned to duty the very next day and received a standing ovation from his fellow officers at the precinct.
On May 8, he joined the NYPD’s newest graduating class during a ceremony at Madison Square Garden, finally achieving the goal he had worked toward for years.
With his eyes now on the future, Elcock said he hopes to serve as a bridge between the department and the communities it protects, especially for younger generations.
“I would love to motivate people, little kids as well, kids younger than me,” he said. “I would love to be that bridge between not only civilians, but other police officers as well, and future police officers.”
