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Following two unprovoked attacks on women in major New York City public spaces over the past two weeks, top New York leaders are facing mounting pressure for failing to present a concrete plan of action – including Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is seeking reelection.
Hochul, who is facing a challenge from Republican Bruce Blakeman, has been silent on the recent attacks.
One woman is currently on life support after police say an unknown suspect approached her while she was on a run and stabbed her in the throat.
The NYPD told Fox News Digital that Katie Suarez, 28, was rushed to the hospital following the attack that happened Friday evening on Shore Parkway Greenway in Brooklyn. She “sustained multiple stab wounds,” police said.
The NYPD says Katie Suarez, 28, was stabbed in the neck several times in an unprovoked attack that happened as she was on a run in Brooklyn on a popular jogging and biking path. (NYPD; Google Maps)
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Suarez is an avid runner having completed races with the New York Road Runners.
“We were sad to hear of this horrible attack—our hearts are with her family and the running community,” a spokesperson for the organization said.
Suarez was not registered to run in this past weekend’s New York City marathon. New York City Council Member Kayla Santosuosso represents southern Brooklyn.
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In a statement to Fox News Digital, she said, “I am horrified by the stabbing of Katie Suarez, and first and foremost my thoughts are with Katie and her loving family. I have been personally assured by Police Commissioner Tisch that the NYPD is pulling out all the stops in their efforts to catch the perpetrator. The promenade where this horrific crime took place has been poorly lit for years, since well before I took office. We will be working to ensure that upcoming renovations to the pedestrian bridge near the scene and the promenade itself will include sufficient lighting.”
An NYPD officer walks towards the area where a woman was reportedly raped at knifepoint inside Central Park. (FNTV)
She called the recent violence against women “deeply disturbing.”
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Santosuosso went on to say, “We deserve to be able to walk and jog in our neighborhoods without worrying for our safety. This is a serious and personal issue for me as a woman and as a mother and I will be doing everything in my power to keep southern Brooklyn a place where women can live without fear.”
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Retired NYPD inspector and Fox News contributor Paul Mauro said lighting, in addition to surveillance, needs to be the first step at preventing the repeated violence.
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“Lighting is great, but I would not only ask for that. I would ask for cameras and very ostentatious cameras.”
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He went on to say, “You want people to feel like they are observed.”
Mauro said Santosuosso’s plan to increase “lighting” in the area “tacitly” follows Giuliani-era “broken windows” policing in New York City. That strategy involved targeting lower-level crimes and public offenses to prevent more serious crimes, an approach that was popularized under former mayor Rudy Giuliani during his time in office from 1994 to 2001.
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In a separate case, police said a woman, 39, was raped at knifepoint in Central Park across the street from a stretch of multimillion-dollar apartments on Fifth Avenue on Oct. 24.
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A 39-year-old woman was raped at knifepoint in Central Park, the NYPD said. (Getty Images: Anadolu; FNTV)
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It was the fifth reported sex assault in the park this year. There have been no arrests in either recent case.
This perceived silence on street-level interventions for everyday New Yorkers has drawn sharp criticism, especially when contrasted with the state’s aggressive response to higher-profile collegiate incidents.
Last month, Hochul took unprecedented executive action regarding an alleged gang-rape at Cornell University, appointing Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor and directing State Police to take over sexual assault complaints on the Ivy League campus.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at a press conference, July 31, 2024, in the Bronx borough of New York. (Julia Nikhinson/AP Photo)
While Hochul publicly vowed not to let the Cornell case get “swept under the rug,” critics argue that the same fierce executive urgency is nowhere to be found for New York City residents navigating daily life and public parks in the five boroughs.
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In response to the attack on Suarez, James said in a post on X on Monday: “This is outrageous and unacceptable. No New Yorker should have to fear such violence. I’m praying for a swift recovery for Katie, and keeping her family in my thoughts. I urge anyone with information to contact @NYPDTips.”
A spokesperson for Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office said: “The recent attacks on women across our city are horrific. Every New Yorker should be able to walk anywhere in our city at any time of day or night without fear of violence. The Mamdani administration is committed to ensuring that survivors are heard and supported — and that those responsible are held accountable. We will continue working with survivors, service providers and community partners to strengthen prevention, close gaps in services and confront gender-based violence.”
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Neither the Mayor or City Council mentioned increasing patrols in the city – something Mauro sees as major red flag.
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“Nobody will be willing to admit that good policing keeps people safe because they need the police as something to beat up on,” he said.
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While city leaders have kept quiet on the possibility of increasing patrols following the recent attacks, Mauro warned that any young woman who either lives in the city currently or is planning a move there should educate herrself on the real dangers that are happening in the city.
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“Young women, you better understand what you’re getting into because you are joining a city whose leadership does not prioritize your safety. They take it for granted, and they are willing to countenance instances like this in furtherance of some wrongheaded notional agenda that is going to lead us all into some socialist egalitarian Shangri-La that is never going to arrive.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Hochul’s office for comment.