A 37-year-old man has been arrested following an assault on a woman at East 241st Street subway station in Wakefield, police said.

 

It was reported to police that on Monday, Feb. 21, at approximately 5.15 p.m., on the southbound platform of the East 241st Street subway station, an unidentified man approached a 43-year-old woman who was sitting on a platform bench, and struck her in the face and in the back of the head with human feces.

 

 

He then fled the location in an unknown direction. Photos and a video of the incident are attached.

Responding to the incident, George Diaz, candidate for Assembly District 81, which covers Wakefield, said on Tuesday, March 1, “Thank goodness the man who assaulted a woman at the 241st Street train station was arrested. Besides it being a disgusting attack, in multiple ways, we need to make our trains & buses safer.” He added, “I will fight for these changes.”

The NY Daily News has since reported that the suspect was released without bail Tuesday night, March 1, for the excrement attack after a Bronx Criminal Court judge reportedly said she didn’t have evidence at the time of the defendant’s alleged, three other recent arrests.

The publication also reported that following Abrokwa’s release without bail, Brooklyn NYPD detectives immediately placed him in custody and charged him with harassment and menacing, both as a hate crime, following a report of a 2021 attack by Abrokwa in Brooklyn on a Jewish man, where he allegedly spat and cursed at the victim because he was Jewish.

On Thursday, March 3, Mayor Eric Adams released a statement in connection with the case, after Abrokwa was reportedly released from custody once again.

“This individual should not be out on the streets of New York and his release shows the scope of changes that we need to make in order to keep New Yorkers safe,” Adams said. “It is the result of a failed mental health system, a failed housing and support system, and failing criminal justice laws that allow someone with a history of violence who poses a clear threat to public safety to just walk out of court.”

The mayor continued, “We can’t allow this horrific situation to be the status quo and must make changes to our laws to both prevent these sort of attacks, through intervention and support, and, when they happen, to subsequently keep people who are clearly a danger to others off the street.”

MTA chair and CEO, Janno Lieber, also issued a statement on the release of who was described as “the serial transit attack suspect,” saying, “I’m not a criminal justice expert but I don’t understand how someone who commits this kind of assault – which was violent, horribly victimizing a transit rider – can just walk free even when he has four other open cases against him, including two other transit assaults and a hate crime charge.” He added, “It defies common sense.”

 

When contacted for comment about Abrokwa’s Bronx arraignment following the feces incident, a representative from the Office of the Bronx District Attorney (DA) said the case was not a bail reform issue. They said bail reform law was tweaked last July to allow the prosecution to ask for bail in bail ineligible cases, when the defendant is a recidivist which, they said, Abrokwa is.   “We believed bail was appropriate because of the horrendous nature of this case, and because of Mr. Abrokwa’s open assault cases in Manhattan and open petty larceny case in The Bronx,” the representative said. “We requested $5K cash/$15K insurance bond/$15K partially secured bond.”

The Bronx DA representative went on to say that their office submitted the affidavits/complaints [about the defendant] from the open Manhattan cases, which were statements from a police officer who had been informed by victims named in the complaints, but were not statements coming directly from the victims. As a result, the Bronx Criminal Court judge in question (Licitra) considered them hearsay.

The Bronx DA’s office said their position has been that it does not matter whether the affidavits contained hearsay or not. The law mentions “reasonable cause” as the legal standard, and they said the filing of an affidavit is reasonable cause to believe that a crime occurred. (An affidavit is a written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation, for use as evidence in court.)

The Bronx DA’s office said Judge Licitra required the prosecution to provide fully converted affidavits, along with supporting depositions and video [of the prior complaints], in order for her to set bail. (A deposition involves the taking of sworn, out-of-court, oral testimony of a witness that may be reduced to a written transcript for later use in court.) However, the Bronx DA’s office maintains that this is not true. “We gave her enough information to support our request for bail,” the representative said. “The defendant was ROR, released on his own recognizance [without bail].”

The representative added that supervised release was denied “as well” since the defendant had an open I-Card for the hate crime case in Brooklyn. Abrokwa was arrested and taken to Brooklyn shortly thereafter. An open I-Card is an online document created by an NYPD detective that notifies patrol officers that a person is wanted.

Norwood News reached out to Judge Wanda Licitra at Bronx Criminal Court for comment on the point about the legal standard. Lucien Chalfen, a spokesperson for The Office of Court Administration for the Unified Court System, responded, saying, “The Judge heard extensive arguments from both the prosecution and defense regarding bail. Ultimately, in her determination, the prosecution did not meet its burden. Should the defendant not meet the conditions of his release, I am sure the issue of bail will be revisited.”

On March 4, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) chair and CEO, Janno Lieber, visited Wakefield’s 241st Street subway station to meet riders and demonstrate what was described as the agency’s continued commitment to ensure everyone’s safety.

“My focus is on the woman and the riders and how they are feeling,” said Lieber. “This particular story is just horrific and there’s no other way to describe it. I’m not here to give an opinion as a criminal justice expert or to write laws, I’m here to speak out on behalf of our riders and let everyone know what we at the MTA feel.”

While meeting with commuters and discussing their experiences and concerns using the transit system, Lieber updated them on the MTA’s efforts to ensure the safety and wellbeing of everyone who uses the system.

A person accused and arrested for a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

On March 23, The NY Daily News reported that Abrokwa was once again arrested for reportedly breaking a window at a Washington Heights store while also shouting at staff, and is now being held on bail.

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