A mentally disabled woman who randomly shoved a helpless commuter into a moving subway car in Times Square was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison on Thursday, with the victim recalling feeling like she was in “a scene from a horror movie.”
Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Brendan Lantry sentenced Antonia Egevara, 32, to 12 years in prison for assaulting a 42-year-old New Jersey woman, Renee Javier, in 2021, leaving her with multiple injuries, including a broken arm that required surgery.
“I felt like I was part of a nightmare, like a scene from a horror movie I'd seen,” Javier said in a victim impact statement read in court by Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Andrea Kimmel.
“My life has been shattered and it has been a nightmare ever since,” wrote Javier, who did not attend the sentencing hearing.
Egebala, who suffers from schizophrenia, had been out without bail for three months at the time of the October 4, 2021, attack for an alleged assault on another strap attendant.
The victim, Jasmine Robles, was attacked by Eguevara on the A train and suffered a broken nose, bleeding eyes, broken teeth and severe PTSD.
Egevara was charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, in the incident, but the charge was dropped after he failed a psychiatric evaluation, his defense lawyer said.
She had faced up to 25 years in prison on attempted murder charges for her attack on Javier, but on August 8 she pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of first-degree assault as part of a deal with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
According to prosecutors, Egevara was sitting on a bench inside the 42nd Street subway station when he stood up, walked up to Javier and suddenly shoved her into the path of an oncoming northbound Platform 3 train.
Javier suffered several injuries, including a broken arm and bleeding and bruising to his face. Eguevara fled the station but was arrested the following day.
“Fear entered my life like a bug. The question 'why me?' lingered in my mind and disturbed my beliefs, attitude, mood and composure,” the victim said in a statement, adding that she still suffers from stiff arms and anxiety from the attack.
Egebara's lawyer, Adam Meafer, said his client's mental state at the time of the attack influenced her actions “to some extent” but he hoped the victim was recovering and feeling better.
“I am truly sorry for my actions,” Egebara said in a brief statement to the judge.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said he hoped Egevara's sentence would bring some relief to his victims.
“Antonia Egevara will serve a lengthy sentence in state prison for violently shoving a woman in front of a train as it pulled into the station on her morning commute,” Bragg said in a statement. “The assault has left the victim with stiffness and pain from her injuries to this day, and we hope the resolution of this case will provide her with a sense of justice.”
