A Bronx man accused of smearing feces on a woman’s face in a vile subway attack last week stuck his tongue out as he was led out of his arraignment hearing.
Frank Abrokwa, 37, was arrested February 28 and charged with forcible touching, menacing, disorderly conduct and harassment, police said.
Abrokwa was wearing brightly-colored ‘SLAM’ magazine cover bomber jacket and NBA hat as he was escorted out of Bronx Criminal Court Tuesday night.
The stomach-turning attack took place just three days after New York City Mayor Eric Adams rolled out the Subway Safety Plan meant to crack down on violence in crime-ridden transport system.
Surveillance video from the station that was released by the New York City Police Department on Monday shows the victim, described as a 43-year-old woman, sitting on a bench waiting for a train.
A man walks along the platform carrying a plastic bag. Suddenly, he lunges at the woman and appears to shove the bag into her face.
Mayor Adams called the incident a ‘horrific experience for anyone to go through’ at an unrelated press conference on Monday.
‘Human waste or someone spitting in your face, those are real signs of mental health issues … and we really must dig into how we’re dealing with these mental health issues,’ the mayor added.
Frank Abrokwa, 37, who was arrested for smearing feces on a woman’s face in a vile subway attack last week, stuck his tongue out as he left court Tuesday night on a Brooklyn warrant
Abrokwa is charged with forcible touching, menacing, disorderly conduct and harassment
Abrokwa was wearing brightly-colored ‘SLAM’ magazine cover bomber jacker and NBA hat as he was escorted out of Bronx Criminal Court Tuesday night
The attack took place at 5:15pm on February 21 on the southbound platform at the East 241st Street station.
When the woman leans forward, the attacker walks behind her and presses the contents of the bag, said to be human excrement, against the back of her head and her back.
The video released by the police offers a clear image of the suspect, who is seen wearing black pants, an oversized blue sweater, and a ballcap over a durag, and carrying a large duffle bag slung over his shoulder.
Surveillance video from the East 241st Street subway station in the Bronx shows a man attacking an unsuspecting woman sitting on a bench on February 21
The suspect lunges at the 43-year-old victim and shoves a plastic bag containing human feces into her face
The revolting attack took place without any apparent provocation during the evening rush hour
When the woman leans forward on the bench, the attacker smashes the bag of excrement against her head
The attacker is seen standing behind the victim and smear the bag against the victim
As part of the initiative, 1,000 police officers have been deployed on several subway lines to boost public safety.
A week after Adams’ announcement, Dr Nina Rothschild, a NYC Department of Health scientist, was kicked down a flight of stairs and struck repeatedly with a hammer at the Queens Plaza subway station, leaving her in a critical condition.
On Sunday, police picked up 57-year-old William Blount in connection with the savage attack, charging him with attempted murder, robbery and assault.
There has been a spate of crimes committed by homeless individuals, including a break-dancer who was stabbed by a homeless man earlier this month and Michelle Go’s murder, where the 40-year-old was pushed beneath a train in January by a homeless man with a history of mental illness.
So far this year there have been 320 crimes in the transit system – a 60 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
Crime across the board is on the rise in New York, with murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, grand larceny and hate crime rates all increasing.
