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NYPD: 'Urine' Thrown On Female Transit Workers In Separate Incidents
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 13, 2019
Modified Apr 13, 2019
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By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 13, 2019
Modified Apr 13, 2019
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The Transit Workers Union is concerned a "serial attacker" may be targeting female transit employees, after two workers—a subway conductor and a bus driver—were attacked in different incidents on Friday.
The incidents about 15 blocks away from each other in the Bronx. The first was around 10:40 a.m., at the Brook Avenue station; the NYPD said that a male individual outside the train "threw urine or what seemed like urine" at a 43-year-old conductor before then punching her in the forehead and cursed at her. The suspect fled, and the conductor was taken to Westchester Square Hospital.
Then, at Grand Concourse and East 138th Street, at 11:25 p.m., the NYPD says a male individual ran from the sidewalk to the driver's side of an NYC Transit bus and threw an unknown liquid at the 43-year-old. The suspect in this incident fled, and the driver was taken to Lincoln Hospital.
The driver, Trellis Robinson, told WABC 7, "I was loading my passengers. As I proceeded to close the doors to pull off, he just doused the cup with the urine. In my face—it went in my eyes, my hair, my clothes."
"It literally went inside the collar… whole left shoulder soaked," she said in an interview with WCBS 2. She wondered of her attacker, "Why did you throw your urine in my face, like what did I do to you?"
TWU Local 100 President Tony Utano issued a statement, "Bus Operators should keep their windows closed and Train Conductors should make sure they are wearing their goggles and immediately shut their windows if someone approaches on a platform. We will do everything we can to help the police catch this disgusting individual and put him in handcuffs."
He also said, "This abuse of transit workers is outrageous. No other group of workers gets treated like this."
It is unclear if the incidents are connected at this time and the investigating is ongoing, a police spokesperson said.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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