Veteran Dies After Subway Incident
The Department of Homeland Security reported on Thursday that Richard Williams, an 83-year-old military veteran, succumbed to his injuries after being pushed onto subway tracks in New York City by an undocumented immigrant who has a lengthy criminal record.
Williams, a retired Air Force pilot, passed away on March 17, just days after the incident at the 63rd Lexington Street station. According to reports, he and another man were shoved onto the tracks on March 10.
The alleged perpetrator, Byron Hernandez, 34, a Honduran national, has since been arrested and charged with murder.
Another man involved, John Pena, 30, initially pushed Williams onto the tracks but then helped pull him back just before a train came into the station, as noted by the New York Post.
After the incident, Williams was taken to a hospital where doctors identified a brain bleed and performed surgery. Unfortunately, they reported no brain activity post-operation.
Authorities ruled Williams’ death a homicide. His daughter, Debbie, expressed her anger, saying, “I want him to go to prison in Venezuela. It’s the worst place for him. I want him to suffer for the rest of his life. A prison trial would be appropriate.” She also mentioned that her father recently won a five-year battle with prostate cancer.
Hernandez, labeled a “serial offender” by the Department of Homeland Security, has been deported from the United States on four occasions. Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Biss commented, “Byron Posada Hernandez is a serial criminal and an illegal alien who has been deported from Honduras four times and should never have been allowed to walk our streets and harm innocent Americans.”
Federal authorities are urging New York City not to release Hernandez back into the community. New York’s sanctuary policy limits cooperation between local and federal authorities, which complicates matters further. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has filed a motion to keep Hernandez detained.
His criminal record includes 15 different charges, ranging from simple assault and domestic violence to drug possession and aggravated assault. Hernandez first entered the U.S. on January 2, 2008, and has been deported four times, most recently in 2020. However, it remains unclear when he re-entered the country for the fifth time.
