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Asian woman pushed to her death by NYC homeless man declaring himself God

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Michelle Alyssa Go pushed to her death by Martial Simon NYC homeless man
Michelle Alyssa Go pushed to her death by Martial Simon NYC homeless man at Times Square subway station. Images via social media.
Michelle Alyssa Go pushed to her death by Simon Martial NYC homeless man
Michelle Alyssa Go pushed to her death by Simon Martial NYC homeless man at Times Square subway station. Images via social media.

Michelle Alyssa Go Asian woman pushed to her death in front of oncoming subway train at Times Square by Simon Martial NYC homeless man.

‘Yes I pushed her – I’m God, I can do it.’  A NYC homeless man with a 20 year history of mental health issues has been charged with the murder of a 40 year old Asian woman after admitting to pushing her in front of an oncoming train at Times Square subway station.

The 40-year-old victim, identified as Michelle Alyssa Go of New York City, was waiting for a southbound R train around 9:40 a.m. when she was apparently shoved, according to police.

‘This incident was unprovoked, and the victim does not appear to have had any interaction with the subject,’ NYPD Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said during a Saturday afternoon press conference. 

The man believed responsible fled the scene but turned himself in to transit police a short time later, Sewell said during the news conference with Mayor Eric Adams at the station.

Police later identified the man as 61-year-old Simon Martial, who has now been charged with murder in connection to the morning assault. His criminal history includes multiple prior arrests and police sources say he’d been on parole.

History of in and out of mental institutions

Martial a repeat criminal offender with at least three prior arrests had been released from state prison in August 2021, after a two-year stint for robbery.

Simon’s sister, Josette, said he has a history of mental illness.

‘He’s been on medication for over 20 years and in and out of mental hospitals in New York,’ the sister told the nypost.

She said her brother once managed a NYC parking lot in ‘making good money.’

It was while being moved to a midtown police precinct that the ‘unhinged’ man began shouting as awaiting reporters demanded to know why he had pushed the 40 year old woman to her death.

‘Yeah because I’m God. Yes I did. I’m God, I can do it,’ Martial shouted to reporters, adding ‘she stole my f—ing jacket, that’s why,’ when asked about his motive the nypost reported.

Investigators believe the man was experiencing homelessness at the time of the assault.

Michelle Alyssa Go pushed to her death by Simon Martial NYC homeless man
Michelle Alyssa Go pushed to her death by Simon Martial NYC homeless man at Times Square subway station. Images via social media.

Anti Asian hate crime

A second woman told police the man had approached her minutes earlier and she feared he would push her onto the tracks.

‘He approaches her and he gets in her space. She gets very, very alarmed,’ Assistant Chief Jason Wilcox said during Saturday’s press conference, describing the earlier encounter. ‘She tries to move away from him and he gets close to her, and she feels that he was about to physically push her onto the train. As she’s walking away she witnesses the crime where he pushes our other victim in front of the train.’

Community leaders said that even if Saturday’s fatal attack was not motivated by racial hatred, it added to a sense of palpable fear among Asian-Americans amid a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in New York and around the country. Police officials said the killing, including whether it was a hate crime, was under investigation, but noted that the first woman Martial allegedly approached was not Asian. Martial is Black.

‘This latest attack causing the death of an Asian American woman in the Times Square subway station is particularly horrifying for our community,’ Margaret Fung, executive director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, said. She said the community was still mourning the Dec. 31 death of Yao Pan Ma, a Chinese immigrant who was attacked in April while collecting cans in East Harlem.

‘These attacks have left Asian Americans across the city and across the country feeling vulnerable and they must stop,’ Fung said in a statement.

New York City experienced a significant increase in anti-Asian hate crimes last year. Police data shows incidents targeting Asians rose by 361 percent by December 2021, NBC News reported.

Saturdays subway attack is the latest ongoing instances of people being stabbed, assaulted or shoved onto the tracks at stations in the Bronx, Brooklyn and at Times Square.

State Senator John Liu called on the city to take immediate steps to help people who need mental health services in the wake of several high-profile attacks within a week against Asians.

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