Suspect in fatal New York City subway attack arraigned on murder charges from hospital bed
A judge ordered a psychiatric evaluation on Simon Martial.
The man accused of pushing a woman to her death on a New York City subway track was arraigned from his hospital bed on second-degree murder charges.
Simon Martial, 61, was seen using “two hands to push another woman onto the train tracks as a train approached" at the Times Square station on the southbound N/Q/W/R train platform Saturday morning, prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney's office said during the arraignment. The Asian woman, 40-year-old Michelle Go, was struck by the incoming train and killed.
The attack was “completely unprovoked” and Go, a New York City resident, was looking down at her phone at the time she was shoved, police said. Go suffered severe trauma to her body and was pronounced dead at the scene, New York Police Department Commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters after the attack.
Martial, who is believed to be homeless, fled the scene but later turned himself in at a police station. Martial had a warrant out for parole violation and two prior violent felony convictions.
A judge remanded Martial Wednesday and ordered a psychiatric evaluation on him.
Prosecutors said they’re still working to determine whether Martial was motivated by racial bias. ABC News could not immediately reach an attorney for Martial for comment. His next court appearance is Feb. 23.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday that while Go's death shocked "the entire city," it highlights the need to address the city's mental health crisis.
"We have to do a better job in having those that are disruptive on the system, [who] appear to have real mental health crisis, we have to do a better job to give them the services they need and not leave them on the system," Adams said.
The mayor added that the city cannot rely solely on police and is asking the governor for more resources to employ mental health professionals.
Mourners gathered at a vigil in Times Square Tuesday to honor Go. Her smiling face was featured on a big-screen billboard and members of the crowd carried her picture in their hands.
Go, a consultant for Deloitte, spent her free time volunteering as an advocate for the homeless.
Her family said in a statement that they remembered her as a "beautiful, brilliant, kind, and intelligent woman who loved her family and friends, loved to travel the world and help others."
ABC News' Kiara Alfonseca and Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.
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