New York Governor Kathy Hochul is being criticized for boasting about making the subway "safer" and posting pictures with passengers and law enforcement on the same day a woman was burned alive and two other people were stabbed in the system.
"Since deploying the National Guard to support the NYPD and MTA safety efforts and adding cameras to all subway cars, crime is going down, and ridership is going up," Hochul said in a publication on X.
In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) December 22, 2024
Since deploying the @NationalGuardNY to support @NYPDnews and @MTA safety efforts and adding cameras to all subway cars, crime is going down, and ridership is going up. pic.twitter.com/T7uRxx9nIO
Two local lawmakers, one Democrat and one Republican, were quick to take on Hochul for the post, noting the recent crimes that had taken place. "Kathy Hochul took a victory lap for making subways 'safer.' She congratulates herself on the same day two subway riders were stabbed in Queens (one in the face and one in the chest) and another was barbarically burned alive. Has there ever been a more tone-deaf Governor in the history of New York?" wondered Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres in a publication of his own.
His anger was echoed by Republican Nicole Malliotakis: "Are you kidding me??? You are really posting this after a woman was set on fire & died on a Brooklyn train this morning and two people were stabbed (one killed) on a Queens train yesterday," she said in a reply to Hochul's publication.
The woman who was set on fire on Sunday died of her wounds, police said. A person of interest was taken into custody, said Police Department Commissioned Jessica Tisch, describing the person in question as someone who arrived from Guatemala in 2018.
"In today's case, we were able to get incredibly clear and detailed images of the suspect from the initial incident. Then, we asked the media to broadcast those images far and wide so we could use the viewing public as a force multiplier — and New Yorkers came through again," Tisch said. She added that three high school-aged people called 911 after seeing images of the person, which were widely distributed on several platforms. The victim remains to be identified.
As for the second incident, one person died and another one was injured after a stabbing incident at a subway station in Queens. A person of interest was also taken into custody in relation to the episode.
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