After two violent attacks on women in prominent New York City public spaces in the past two weeks, state and city leaders are facing questions about what they plan to do. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is seeking reelection, has not publicly addressed the attacks. She is being challenged by Republican Bruce Blakeman.
Katie Suarez, 28, is on life support after being stabbed while out running in Brooklyn. Police said an unidentified person approached her Friday evening on the Shore Parkway Greenway. She suffered multiple stab wounds and was taken to a hospital.
Suarez is a longtime runner who has taken part in races organized by New York Road Runners. A representative for the group said it was saddened by the attack and was thinking of Suarez, her family and the running community. She was not registered for this weekend’s New York City Marathon.
City Council Member Kayla Santosuosso, who represents southern Brooklyn, said she was horrified by the stabbing and that her thoughts were with Suarez and her family. She said Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch had assured her that the NYPD was making every effort to find the attacker.
Santosuosso also pointed to poor lighting along the promenade, saying the problem had existed for years. She said planned work on a nearby pedestrian bridge and the promenade should include adequate lighting. The recent violence against women, she added, was deeply disturbing.
Residents should be able to walk or run in their neighborhoods without fearing for their safety, Santosuosso said. As a woman and a mother, she described the issue as personal and said she would work to make southern Brooklyn safer.
Paul Mauro, a retired NYPD inspector, argued that better lighting should be accompanied by surveillance cameras that are clearly visible. People should feel that they are being watched, he said.
Mauro said the focus on lighting echoed, in a limited way, the “broken windows” approach associated with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani. That strategy emphasized addressing lower-level offenses in the hope of preventing more serious crime.
In a separate incident, police said a 39-year-old woman was raped at knifepoint in Central Park on Oct. 24, across from expensive apartments on Fifth Avenue. It was the park’s fifth reported sexual assault this year. No arrests have been made in either recent case.
Hochul’s lack of a public response has drawn criticism, particularly in light of her actions last month following an alleged gang rape at Cornell University. She appointed Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor and directed State Police to take over sexual assault complaints at the campus. Hochul had vowed the Cornell case would not be allowed to disappear from public view. Critics say that same urgency has not been apparent in response to attacks affecting people in New York City.
James condemned the attack on Suarez in a post on X, calling it unacceptable and saying no New Yorker should have to fear such violence. She said she was hoping for Suarez’s recovery and urged anyone with information to contact the NYPD.
A spokesperson for Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the attacks were horrific and that residents should be able to travel around the city at any hour without fear. The administration, the spokesperson said, would work with survivors and community groups to strengthen prevention, improve services and address gender-based violence.
Mauro criticized city leaders for not discussing whether to increase patrols. He said effective policing helps keep people safe, but argued that leaders were reluctant to acknowledge that because police are often treated as a political target.
He also warned young women considering a move to New York City to understand the safety risks, accusing city leadership of failing to make their protection a priority.
Hochul’s office was contacted for comment.
