Nurse Maria Ambrocio dies days after being knocked down by a mentally impaired man
An oncology nurse from Bayonne, New Jersey was pronounced dead on October 10 two days after she was knocked down by a fleeing theft suspect while walking toward Times Square, according to news reports.
Reports said Maria Luningning Ambrocio cracked her skull when her head hit the pavement. She was rushed to Bellevue Hospital and placed on life support.
“I’m asking for all Bayonne people to say a prayer for Maria Ambrocio, who was viciously attacked in an unprovoked assault by a deranged man in Times Square,” said Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis after news of the accidental attack was reported in the papers. His statement was posted on Facebook before she was pronounced deceased.
Reports state that Maria and some friends came from the Philippine Consulate and had lunch at a nearby restaurant on October 8. They were walking toward Times Square after lunch when suspect Jermaine Foster who was fleeing from a robbery bumped into Ambrocio. The impact was so strong it knocked her to the ground and rendered her unconscious. Foster, described as a “mentally disturbed homeless man,” had grabbed a cell phone from a stranger and was fleeing when he plowed into Maria’s group.
One of Maria’s friends, Emilia Cruz, recalled to the New York Post how it happened: “There were lots of people and we were trying to maneuver…I heard a big thump like something hit the concrete and, you know, it was loud so I said ‘Wow, oh my God. What’s that?’ and I looked down and I saw her blouse, I didn’t see the face and I said, ‘Oh my God, Ning,’ I call her Ning…I said ‘Ning, what happened? Wake up,’ and she was out. She was already unconscious. She is not answering me. I keep picking her up. She was frothing from her mouth. And I said, ‘Call 911.’”
Like Maria, Emilia is a nurse at the Bayonne Medical Center. Maria’s Facebook profile says she works at CarePoint Health, a health care network that includes three area hospitals Bayonne Medical Center, Christ Hospital, and Hoboken University Medical Center. She was previously a nurse at Beth Israel Hospital in Manhattan.
The Philippine Consulate issued a statement calling on New York City authorities to take the necessary measures to protect the public.
“We grieve with the rest of the Filipino community over the death of our ‘kababayan,’ Maria Ambrocio, a 58-year-old health frontliner from Bayonne, New Jersey, who is the latest victim of deranged individuals on the loose in New York City.
“Maria’s passing was announced shortly after she was removed from life support a few hours ago. She had been on life support for the head trauma she sustained on Friday afternoon after she was knocked down by someone who was described as a mentally disturbed homeless man.
“Maria was walking with a kababayan near Times Square after visiting the Philippine Consulate General when she was struck by the suspect who was reportedly being chased after grabbing a mobile phone from someone. The incident is the latest in the series of violent acts committed by mentally-ill individuals against members of the Filipino Community in New York City since the start of the year.
“Beginning January, we have seen several of our kababayan, most of them senior citizens, violently assaulted by individuals with mental health issues.
“We have joined calls for authorities to take the necessary steps, including heightened police visibility, to protect the public after we noted the surge in anti-Asian hate incidents that targeted some of our kababayan.
“We also supported calls for authorities to take the necessary measures to address mental health issues, especially among the homeless. We reiterate these calls as we mourn our loss but we also ask ourselves: How many more Maria Ambrocios do we have to mourn before the streets would be made safe again?”
© The FilAm 2021
