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On Sunday, May 21, 39-year-old Kamal Semrade allegedly pushed 35-year-old Emine Ozsoy into the side of a moving subway, leaving her in critical condition.
According to a GoFundMe page started by the victim's family and friends, Ozsoy risks being paralysed below the neck. They have started an initiative to raise $500,000 to pay for her medical fees. As of Wednesday, May 24, they have raised $33,000.
The fundraiser also gives an update on Emine's condition:
"Doctors initially informed us she had a slim chance of recovering movement below the neck. In just one day, she challenged that prognosis by moving her arms. It is a huge step, but her road to recovery will be long and challenging. She's a fighter and is already fighting to recover. She will get there, but she needs everyone's help."
Kamal Semrade has since been arrested and charged with assault and attempted murder. The New York Police Department believe that the suspect is a homeless man who illegally jumped the turnstile to enter the subway system. Investigators believe that the assault was the first time the suspect had encountered Emine Ozsoy.
Trigger warning: This article concerns an assault, the reader's discretion is advised.
Emine Ozsoy was attacked on her way to work
Authorities said that on early Sunday morning, Kamal Semrade and Emine Ozsoy entered the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue Subway station at the same time.
Prior to the assault, Kamal Semrade could be seen standing on the Subway platform with a cup of coffee. Officials noted that he most likely did not have a coupon and is also accused of tresspassing.
According to investigators, Kamal Semrade and Emine Ozsoy both traveled using the same Subway train towards the Lexington Avenue and 63rd Street Station on the Upper East Side, where they both got off. Surveillance cameras showed that Semrade was sitting on the platform, drinking his coffee. Ozsoy could be seen standing on the platform, near her train.
ABC NY reported that the crime occured at approximately 6 am, as Semrade walked towards Ozsoy and pushed her into the train as it got ready to depart. Ozsoy sustained several lacerations to the head, as well as spinal injuries.
Nancy Marrero, a Long Island City Postal Worker who witnessed the crime, described the gruesome scene.
Marrero said:
“With open palms (Semrade) just mushed her head — not her body — into the train. She just tumbled, just kept spinning because the train kept hitting her. The victim kept asking, 'Am I going to die?' You could see the white inside, that’s how bad it was.”
After the incident, Semrade quickly fled the scene. However, authorities used surveillance footage to track him down to a homeless shelter in Queens at 10 pm on Monday.
While investigators believe the attack was random, they are speculating upon whether Semrade and Ozsoy had some sort of interaction within the subway train, prior to the attack.
