A HOMELESS man has admitted to pushing an Asian woman in front of an oncoming subway train in Times Square.
Simon Martial, 61, who is said to suffer from mental health issues, yelled “Go f**k yourself” at reporters as he was led out of the Midtown South precinct to face a judge Saturday night.
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When Martial was asked if he had killed Michelle Alyssa Go, 40, who lived on the Upper West Side, New York City, he admitted the attack and claimed he was “God,” according to reports.
“Yeah because I’m God. Yes I did. I’m God, I can do it,” Martial shouted to a group of reporters, adding “she stole my f**king jacket, that’s why,” when asked about his motive, the New York Post reports.
The victim was standing on the N/Q/R/W platform at 9.40am when the suspect pushed her onto the tracks as a southbound R train came into the station, officials said.
“This incident was unprovoked and the victim does not appear to have any interaction with the subject,” NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said during an afternoon press conference.
Sewell described the attack as a “senseless, absolutely senseless act of violence.”
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Cops said Martial had previously approached another woman, who was not Asian, at the station, but she became alarmed and moved away.
“She feels that he was about to physically push her onto the train,” Assistant Chief Jason Wilcox of the NYPD Detective Bureau said. “As she’s walking away she witnesses the crime where he pushes our other victim in front of the train.”
After the attack, Martial took a train to Canal Street and turned himself in to transit officers, police said.
Unprovoked attacks on Asian Americans have soared during the coronavirus pandemic in New York City, with police figures showing they rose by 368 per cent in 2021.
Many of those attacks took place in the city’s subway system and city and state officials have tried to tackle the problem by expanding the police presence and social service teams as well as helping move homeless people living underground into shelters.
“We had a robust plan for this station today. We had six officers assigned to it. There were two officers on the southbound platform to the southern end when this incident occurred,” Assistant NYPD Chief Kathleen O’Reilly said.
“Unfortunately, these incidents do occur. They’re rare but this one is very harrowing and disturbing,” she said.
The incident increased the sense of fear among Asian-Americans even if Saturday’s attack wasn’t racially motivated, community leaders have said.
“This is horrifying. It’s a horrible attack on yet another one of our citizens,” said Wai Wah Chin, charter president of the Chinese-American Citizen’s Alliance of Greater New York. “This has to stop.”
Some have also claimed that hate criminals could be emboldened by more lenient law enforcement policies, such as the state’s bail reform law and new sentencing guidelines implemented by new Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
“People are afraid because we know [Bragg] is going to let violent criminals go free and Asians around the city will be the victims,” said Phil Wong, 55, a Queens businessman and political activist.
Sources told CBS2 Martial has a previous record of three emotionally disturbed incidents.
They added he has four prior arrests, including several for robbery.
Police say there was a current warrant out for his arrest for allegedly violating his parole conditions.
He was charged with murder Saturday night, police said.
“He’s been on medication for over 20 years and in and out of mental hospitals in New York,” a woman who identified herself as Martial’s sister, Josette, told The Post.
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The scene inside Times Square station after woman killed by man who ‘pushed her in front of subway train’
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