New York’s top officials are under growing pressure to outline a clear response after two apparently unprovoked attacks on women in major public spaces over the past two weeks.
One victim remains on life support after police said an unidentified assailant approached her during a run and stabbed her in the throat.
The NYPD told News Media that Katie Suarez, 28, was taken to a hospital after Friday evening’s attack on the Shore Parkway Greenway in Brooklyn. Police said she “sustained multiple stab wounds.”
The NYPD says Katie Suarez, 28, was stabbed several times in the neck during an unprovoked attack while she was running on a popular Brooklyn path used by joggers and cyclists. (NYPD; Google Maps)
Suarez is an avid runner who has completed races organized by 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 for this past weekend’s New York City Marathon.
Responding to the recent violence, a spokesperson for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the governor has zero tolerance for violence of any kind and believes perpetrators must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. “Since taking office, the Governor has funded law enforcement at record levels and strengthened bail and discovery laws to hold all violent offenders accountable. Governor Hochul’s top priority is public safety and she will always fight to protect all New Yorkers.”
New York City Council Member Kayla Santosuosso, who represents southern Brooklyn, also addressed the attack.
In a statement to News Media, 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 toward the area where a woman was reportedly raped at knifepoint inside Central Park. (FNTV)
Santosuosso described the recent violence against women as “deeply disturbing.”
She added, “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.”
Retired NYPD inspector and Fox News contributor Paul Mauro said improved lighting and expanded surveillance should be among the first steps taken to prevent similar attacks.
“Lighting is great, but I would not only ask for that. I would ask for cameras and very ostentatious cameras.”
“You want people to feel like they are observed,” he said.
Mauro said Santosuosso’s call for better “lighting” in the area “tacitly” echoes the “broken windows” policing strategy associated with the Giuliani era in New York City. The approach focused on addressing lower-level crimes and public disorder to deter more serious offenses. It was popularized under former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who served from 1994 to 2001.
In a separate case, police said a 39-year-old woman was raped at knifepoint in Central Park on Oct. 24, across from a stretch of multimillion-dollar apartments along Fifth Avenue.
The NYPD said a 39-year-old woman was raped at knifepoint in Central Park. (Getty Images: Anadolu; FNTV)
It was the fifth reported sexual assault in the park this year. Police have made no arrests in either of the two recent cases.
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.
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.”
Neither the mayor nor City Council mentioned increasing patrols in the city – something Mauro sees as a major red flag.
“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.
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 herself on the real dangers that are happening in the city.
“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.”