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A grieving Bronx mom whose 12-year-old son was killed by a stray bullet blasted state Attorney General Letitia James for her obsession with “national politics” as she endorsed her Republican opponent.
Migdalia Martinez appears in a powerful new ad backing challenger Saritha Komatireddy for AG and talking about her son Jacob Freytes, who was killed outside a bodega in July.
“Four teenagers were shot in the Bronx in one week, and they said it’s the safest summer on record,” Martinez said says, before looking directly into the camera and pointing to a necklace with a picture of son.
“This here is my son, Jacob. He was shot and killed riding his bike to buy a ball. Letitia James has time for national politics, just not for the Bronx,” Martinez said of the Democratic incumbent.
“I’m not political, and neither is Saritha. When I met her, I heard somebody who wants change. Saritha is the only person I’ll vote for.”
The ad also shows an image of James with socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Career criminal William Ferrer was charged in the July 25 stray-bullet killing of Jacob Freytes, who was caught in the crossfire outside a Mount Eden bodega.
Ferrer, who has at least a half-dozen prior arrests dating back to 1999, is accused of opening fire during a street dispute outside Wanda Deli Grocery on Elliott Place near the Grand Concourse.
Jacob — also the son of retired NYPD Detective Sgt. Jesus Freytes — had biked to the store to buy a ball when gunfire erupted, police said.
Ferrer pleaded not guilty during a court appearance last week.
Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor and mother of four, met Martinez shortly after the slaying and brought her to see President Trump at an event on Long Island last month. Trump embraced her and vowed to get tougher on crime at the pro-policing event.
“Families like Migdalia’s have paid an unbearable price while New York’s leaders have failed to make public safety the priority it should be. Letitia James has had almost eight years in office and the resources of a statewide law enforcement agency, yet she is failing these families,” Komatireddy said in a statement to The Post.
James has failed the Bronx since she took office in 2019, her opponent said.
“New Yorkers are tired of excuses, tired of being told this is normal, and tired of leaders who look the other way while innocent people pay the price,” Komatireddy said. “Migdalia deserves better. Jacob deserved better. Every family in New York deserves better.”
The six-figure, 30-second spot is appearing on Cable TV, streaming and digital sites.
As a federal prosecutor in Brooklyn’s Eastern District of New York, Komatireddy handled some of the most high-profile cases involving international terrorism, cybercrime, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and public corruption.
James, who is seeking a third term, is heavily favored to win re-election.
She’s made national headlines for personally prosecuting Trump and his namesake company and suing to block Trump administration policies.
James also commissioned a sexual misconduct probe of ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and fellow Democrat that triggered his resignation even as he denied any wrongdoing.
On her campaign website, she boasts of suing the Trump Administration “more than 50 times to protect New Yorkers’ rights and funding for critical programs like healthcare, public education and good-paying jobs.”
The Democratic incumbent said her AG’s office has taken over 9,500 guns off New York’s streets and worked to stop the spread of ghost guns.
She also claimed to have secured more than $9 billion from individuals and corporations who abused New Yorkers, including more than $3 billion from opioid manufacturers and distributors for their roles in the deadly opioid epidemic and more than $70 million in settlements from neglectful nursing homes
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