Subway feces attack suspect released, immediately re-arrested — and released again
NEW YORK - The suspect accused of striking a woman with feces at a Bronx subway station is now out of jail after being re-arrested in connection with a separate hate crime incident.
Frank Abrokwa, 37, was arraigned in the Bronx on charges from the subway attack on Wednesday and was released without bail. However, he was then re-arrested after being identified as the suspect in an anti-Semitic attack that took place in Brooklyn in September. In that case, he was given supervised release, which the Brooklyn DA's office said is the highest restriction prosecutors could have asked for.
Shortly after his release, Abrokwa posted a rambling video to his Facebook page where he bragged about being released from jail without bail.
"That feces scenario should keep every female in their right mind away from me," Abrokwa said.
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The NYPD says Abrokwa has an extensive criminal history and has been arrested nearly two dozen times, including two arrests this year.
"Judges make discretionary decisions based on a variety of factors," the New York State Court Administration said in a statement. "And the recent bail reforms would dictate what the judge could or could not do."
But Mayor Eric Adams criticized Abrokwa's release.
"It is the result of a failed mental health system, a failed housing and support system, and failing criminal justice laws that allow someone with a history of violence who poses a clear threat to public safety to just walk out of court," Adams said in a statement. "We can't allow this horrific situation to be the status quo and must make changes to our laws to both prevent these sort of attacks, through intervention and support, and, when they happen, to subsequently keep people who are clearly a danger to others off the street."
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MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber also questioned why Abrokwa couldn't be held.
"I'm not a criminal justice expert but I don't understand how someone who commits this kind of assault – which was violent, horribly victimizing a transit rider – can just walk free even when he has four other open cases against him, including two other transit assaults and a hate crime charge," Lieber said. "It defies common sense."
There have been a series of high-profile crimes in the subway system as officials try to convince people to go back into the mass transit system.
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The mayor has pledged to take on the rise in crime on New York City's subways, by deploying specialized teams to provide services to people experiencing mental health issues or homelessness across the city, along with adding more NYPD officers to the trains to keep riders safe and several other changes.
"We are going to ensure that fear is not New York's reality," Adams said at a launch event for the new initiative.