Who is Nina Rothschild? Queens Plaza subway attack video reveals footage of hammer-wielding suspect

Department of Health's Nina Rothschild was attacked by a robber in Queens Plaza subway (Image via Columbia University and Getty Images)

Dr. Nina Rothschild, a 58-year-old woman who serves as a scientist with New York’s Department of Health, was recently attacked at the Queens Plaza subway station. The incident was captured on video and has been widely circulated on social media.

The footage showed the robber knocking Rothschild down the stairs and repeatedly hitting her head with a hammer before grabbing her purse and escaping the scene. The man has not yet been identified and no arrests have been made so far.

Trigger Warning: The following video may contain disturbing content

According to The Daily Mail, officers later found Rothschild lying on the ground with a fractured skull and her head severely injured. She was immediately transferred to a local hospital and remains in a critical condition.

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Everything to know about Nina Rothschild

Nina Rothschild is the health and emergency preparedness coordinator for the Division of Disease Control at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. As part of her role, she has also been involved in the COVID-19 pandemic response.

According to Columbia University’s website, Rothschild graduated from the Mailman School of Public Health. She spent her junior year studying English major at Barnard College and also took courses in Women’s Health and Health Care and Caring for the Mentally Ill: Treatment and Policy for her passion in public health.

Following her graduation, she held several positions across the Division of Disease Control, including the Bureau of Maternal, Infant, and Reproductive Health, HIV Prevention, and HIV Community Planning.

Rothschild also earned a master’s degree in English Literature from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and took a course on Reporting Ethical Issues in Science and Medicine at Columbia Journalism School.

Nina Rothschild further enrolled at Mailman to pursue her M.P.H. and Dr. P.H. degree. She also serves on the Mailman School Alumni Board and has chaired the first Development and Governance Committees.

The Department of Health worker has also been the president of the Public Health Association of NYC in the past.

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What happened to Nina Rothschild?

Nina Rothschild was hit in the head with a hammer by a robber at Queens Plaza subway station (Image via Getty Images)

Nina Rothschild was recently attacked by an unidentified robber at the Queens Plaza subway station in Long Island City, New York. As per surveillance footage, the former was walking down the stairs of the subway platform at around 11.22 pm on February 24 when a robber approached her while holding a cane.

The robber then attempted to kick Rothschild down the stairs but she remained firm and tried to escape from the venue. Shortly after, the suspect took out a hammer and hit Rothschild’s head nearly 13 times.

Following the attack, he grabbed her purse and fled the scene while Rothschild remained on the ground with a fractured skull. The victim’s brother, Gerson, who is also a scientist at Columbia University, further elaborated on the incident while speaking to ABC7. He shared,

“From what she told me on the phone she was just walking down the steps to get into the subway on the way home from work when she was attacked by somebody from behind.”

Gerson also mentioned that his sister asked the person to stop, but he continued with the attack before running away after grabbing her bag containing a cellphone, personal papers, and some jewelry.

The New York Post reported that Rothschild was transferred to Weill Cornell Medical Center after officers arrived at the station. She was diagnosed with a fractured skull and bleeding to her brain and remains in critical condition.

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