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Family of Queens woman fatally struck by train Tuesday witnessed her final moments
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Oct 18, 2023
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Courtesy of the Ajtzac Guarcas family
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Oct 18, 2023
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The family of Jessica Ajtzac Guarcas — the woman who was fatally struck by a subway train in Queens on Tuesday — said they witnessed the last moments of the 18-year-old’s life on a video briefly posted to social media.
The victim's sister, Maria Ajtzac Guarcas, told Gothamist that the footage, which was taken down from social media platforms like TikTok and Facebook shortly after it was posted, appeared to be filmed by a commuter while the woman lay on the tracks as she was struck by an E train at the Roosevelt Avenue-Jackson Heights station in Queens. After she was struck, Ajtzac Guarcas covered her face as if she didn’t want to be filmed, according to Maria.
Several of her family members gathered in Corona, Queens on Wednesday to reflect on her life and make plans in the wake of the tragedy.
Ajtzac Guarcas, a Guatemalan immigrant, moved to New York two years ago with her two sisters and brother, hoping to work and send money back to their parents. She was heading to her job at an empanada restaurant — where she worked alongside her sisters — when she died, her family said.
About 2,000 miles away in Guatemala, Maria said, her horrified mother watched the footage, which was posted on social media and which Gothamist has not reviewed.
“Why did my daughter have to die like that?” the mother said, according to Maria.
It’s unclear exactly how Ajtzac Guarcas fell onto the subway tracks. On Tuesday, the NYPD initially said she fainted because she was sick, but the department later changed its account to say she took a wrong step before she fell.
Although family members said they saw the footage posted to social media, they said on Wednesday that they still hadn’t seen the official surveillance videos from the subway station.
“We want to see the video to see if she really fell or if someone pushed her,” Maria said in Spanish. “Right now we are really hurting, because my sister didn’t deserve to die like this — to come out in two.”
Ajtzac Guarcas and her sisters worked together at an empanada restaurant and often sent money back to Guatemala. Now, her family is hoping to gather enough money to send her body back home.
“To send a body back to Guatemala isn’t easy,” said the sisters' cousin Geovani Marcario. “We come to this country and often we don’t know if we’ll make it back home alive, or in a box.”
Tagged
nypd
public safety
MTA
queens
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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