A woman who pleaded guilty to shoving a straphanger into the path of an oncoming train at the Times Square station three years ago apologized in court before being sentenced to 12 years behind bars.
Anthonia Egegbara previously admitted to pushing 42-year-old Lenny Javier onto an oncoming train on Oct. 4, 2021. According to an impact statement read by ADA Andrea Kimmel, Javier said the experience was like a nightmare.
“I found myself in some part of a nightmare, like a scene from a horror movie,” Javier’s statement read. “Knowing you will be locked in a place where you cannot hurt anyone else helps. I am hopeful and trust that the justice system will take my experience into consideration and hold you accountable for your actions.”
According to court documents, Javier was waiting on the 1/2/3 line at around 8:06 a.m. on Oct. 4, 2021 when Egegbara rose from a nearby bench and shoved her into an arriving train.
Fellow commuters dialed 911 and EMS rushed Javier to a local hospital; she suffered a broken arm, which needed surgery, and severe facial bruising.
Egegbara fled the station and was arrested the following day.
Before the sentence was handed down in a Manhattan Criminal Courtroom on Sept. 19, Egegbara said she regretted her actions that day.
“I truly apologize for my actions,” Egegbara said.
The apology was not enough for Judge Brendan Lantry, who ordered her to serve 12 years in a state prison.
“Anthonia Egegbara will serve a significant state prison term for viciously shoving a woman, who was on her morning commute, into a train as it entered the station,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said. “The assault left the victim with stiffness and pain from her injuries to this day. I hope the resolution in this case can offer the victim a sense of justice.”
