NEW YORK – A woman was struck by a subway train in Manhattan and had both feet amputated after her boyfriend shoved her onto the tracks during a dispute, police said.
The man, Christian Valdez, 35, was charged with attempted murder and felony assault for pushing the 29-year-old woman at the Fulton Street station, where she was struck by a southbound No. 3 train on the morning of March 9, the police said. Officers responding to a 911 call just before 10.30am local time found the woman on the tracks, conscious and responsive.
The woman, whom the police have not named, was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where her feet were amputated, according to police and a law enforcement official.
Valdez had previously served time in prison for slashing a woman and her child.
The incident occurred three days after New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, announced that she would assign 750 National Guard soldiers and 250 state troopers and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) workers to patrol the subways and conduct random bag searches. The move, which she said is meant to help drive down transit crime, drew intense criticism from New Yorkers, the police and members of both political parties.
Overall crime in the transit system fell in 2023 as the number of daily riders rose 14 per cent, according to the police and MTA officials. In 2024, major crime in the transit system has increased about 13 per cent from Jan 1 to March 3, according to Police Department data.
Felony assaults have contributed to the rise. From Jan 1 to March 3, there were 97 felony assaults in the transit system, compared with 84 during the same time period in 2023 – a 15.5 per cent increase.
In 2017, Valdez was charged with assault, burglary, harassment and acting in a manner injurious to a child for breaking into a Bronx apartment and slashing a 37-year-old woman and her three-year-old daughter, the police said. He was released on parole in 2023 from Sing Sing Correctional Facility, according to the police and state prison records.
His last known address is a homeless shelter in Brooklyn, according to police and city records. His arraignment in Manhattan is pending.
Subway safety has become a focal point for Ms Hochul after the perception of crime during the pandemic deterred some people from riding the trains.
Shortly after her initial announcement of the National Guard deployment, she seemed to take note of the criticism, and issued a directive that National Guard members would be prohibited from carrying long guns during bag searches. Soldiers who are not conducting those searches will presumably be allowed to carry them. NYTIMES
