Man who allegedly pushed his girlfriend on subway tracks in Lower Manhattan faces judge
LOWER MANHATTAN (WABC) -- The man arrested for pushing a woman onto the subway tracks in Lower Manhattan faced a judge on Sunday night.
Christian Valdez, 35, is charged in the attempted murder of his girlfriend after allegedly shoving her in front of an oncoming train at the Fulton Street station on Saturday morning after the two had an argument.
Valdez was out on parole after going to prison for other violent crimes, but he is not one of the repeat subway offenders the governor has been talking about protecting the public from who may be attacking strangers - he was the victim's boyfriend.
Prosecutors say that Valdez fled the scene after the attack, and then contacted his parole officer and told them what happened. He was arrested Sunday afternoon.
Last week, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a major subway safety plan, deploying hundreds of National Guard troops into the system, and banning repeat offenders.
"I want to make sure that people have a strong sense of safety, because otherwise they will not go on," Hochul said.
Hochul was on WBLS Radio on Sunday morning explaining that the guard troops will supplement the NYPD, to help deter attacks and reassure worried straphangers.
"That fear factor has come back. These high-profile stories, they send a chill down people's spine when they're deciding whether to take the subway. That has to end," Hochul said.
Her plan is also focusing on those with a history of violence and getting help for those with mental health issues.
Valdez is described as someone with mental health issues, but his violent history is not in the subways.
In 2017, Eyewitness News reported on an attack on a South Bronx mother, It was Valdez, described as an acquaintance of the woman, who broke into her home and stabbed her, almost throwing her three-year-old from a third-floor fire escape.
Valdez was convicted in the horrific attack and went to prison, but was paroled last year.
It was that parole violation that was cited as the reason he was held without bail on Sunday in addition to the attempted murder charge. Prosecutors say he also removed an ankle monitor without permission.
A grand jury is expected to take up the case later this week - a conviction this time could get him 25 years in prison.
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