NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- A subway rider was "instantly paralyzed" when a man shoved her into a train at random as she commuted to work on the Upper East Side this week, prosecutors said Wednesday at the arraignment for her alleged attacker.
Kamal Semrade, 39, was arraigned early Wednesday in Manhattan Criminal Court on charges of attempted murder and assault in Sunday morning's horrifying subway push at the Lexington Avenue–63rd Street station.
It's unclear if he entered a plea. He was ordered held without bail and is due back in court on May 26.
During his arraignment, prosecutors gave graphic new details about the injuries the 35-year-old victim, identified by her family as Emine Yilmaz Ozsoy, suffered when she was attacked as she commuted to work at 6 a.m.
According to prosecutors, Semrade and Ozsoy boarded the same E train in Queens and both got off at the Lexington Avenue–63rd Street station.
As the departing E train pulled away, Semrade "grabbed her head with both his hands and shoved her with all his force into the moving subway car," court papers allege.
"She hit the train in her face and head, rolled along it then crashed back to the platform where she was instantly paralyzed," Assistant District Attorney Carolyn McGuigan said.
"She has a cervical spine fracture, broken fingers, a laceration on her scalp and damage to four major blood vessels," McGuigan continued. "She is currently paralyzed from the neck down. She is currently in critical condition and still has a risk of stroke or death."
McGuigan described the attack as "completely unprovoked."
Ozsoy was rushed to Weill Cornell Medical Center, where she remained in critical condition Wednesday with life-threatening spinal and head injuries.
According to a GoFundMe page, Ozsoy is an award-winning designer and illustrator who immigrated to New York from Turkey in 2017.
In a statement, her husband Ferdi Ozsoy said his wife "has been profoundly impacted by this tragic act of violence."
"She has suffered a severe injury to her neck that has resulted in significant limitations," he said. "Unfortunately, her mobility is expected to be affected, greatly impacting her daily life. But of course, faith and hope are never-ending. She’s young. She’s a strong woman. She’s creative. She’s empathetic. She’s a warrior. She’s a true friend who goes out of her way to help people."
Semrade was nabbed Monday night at a homeless shelter near LaGuardia Airport in East Elmhurst. Officials credited surveillance images released earlier that day with leading to his quick arrest.
In a statement Tuesday, NYC Transit President Richard Davey praised the swift apprehension of the suspect.
“The NYPD acted quickly, using pictures from MTA cameras, to arrest a suspect and start delivering justice to the victim, who is in our thoughts at this terrible time,” Davey said. “It’s now up to prosecutors to pursue maximum consequences available under the law.”
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