By Carol Tannenhauser
An arrest was made in the assault of a 78-year-old man, who was beaten on the subway last Thursday afternoon, at the 96th Street and Broadway station, for asking the suspect to lower his music.
Reginald Matthews, 31, (pictured above) was picked up the same day as the subway assault took place, October 27, for petit larceny in Brooklyn, according to a police spokesperson. While in custody, Matthews was linked to the subway incident and charged with “assault on a victim 65 or older.” The detective was unclear about whether that charge carried a harsher penalty than an ordinary assault.
Matthews was arrested in downtown Brooklyn allegedly for shoplifting nearly $1,000 worth of clothing from a Primark department store. “He is your typical revolving-door criminal,” the detective said. “He has multiple prior arrests dating back to 2007, many related to domestic violence.”
Will he be held for this one? “Not my purview,” he answered. “That belongs to the DA.”
Update: Reginald Mathews was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court and charged with the felony of Assault in the Second Degree (victim over 65 years of age). The victim required five stitches to close a laceration above his eye. The People requested bail of $75,000 Cash/Insurance Company Bond/Partially Secured Surety Bond. Bail was set in the amount of $30,000 bond/ $15,000 cash. The defendant is currently on Rikers Island. He is represented by Legal Aid. The People are represented by Assistant District Attorney Ashlyn Rich. The case was adjourned to Part F, November 3rd, for grand jury action. (Update by Elliott Shapiro.)
Still outstanding is another suspect in the subway beating, pictured below.
Anyone with information regarding this individual is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential.
Bragg knows if Zeldin wins his life is going to change. So now he pretends he cares about the safety of New Yorkers.
Thank you. This flies in the face of the constant narrative that Hochul doesn’t care about crime. Yes, this guy should not have been on the streets to commit this crime, but I believe his prior offenses were before her time.
But the NY Post will conveniently ignore this and all of the lemmings will listen to them and vote for Zeldin. Then we will really have something to be afraid of.
And remember, I’m the guy who has constantly been complaining that we need to deal with crime…
Leon – maybe try being a bit more courteous on this website. Every comment you post is name-calling. Just because someone walks into a voting booth and vote for a Republican doesn’t give you the license to call them a lemming which is a rodent.
He is not calling you (assuming) a rodent when referring to NYPost followers as lemmings in the same way that referring to someone testing something as a Guinea Pig is not calling them a rodent. What Leon is asking for is for people to be intelligentand use their own minds to think for themselves rather than blindly following their leader like a lemming does. For example, consistantly spouting talking points without actually understanding their meaning or their accuracy is an example of acting like a lemming. Verifying facts through unbiased sources with expertise is an example of thinking for oneself.
Perhaps Leon’s language is a bit harsh but I agree with the gist of his comment. The Post and others have worked everyone into a ridiculous fury. I agree that crime is a big problem and something has to be done.
However, Hochul is not solely to blame for this. Though far from perfect, she has made efforts to improve the situation. Firing Bragg is not the answer. Enforcement has increased under Hochul. Zeldin doesn’t have much of a plan and his permissiveness with guns will actually make things worse.
Like many of you, crime is one of my top issues. But Zeldin’s plans (or lack thereof) are not enough to overcome all of the other very major warts on his candidacy.
Your time is better spent advocating for better officials in the state legislature who can actually get something done. With the current lineup, Zeldin can scream all day but won’t get anything passed anyway.
Appreciate the update! Thanks
Thank you for posting a picture of the woman as she has not been caught. A very heinous crime that while this elderly man was lying on the floor of the subway car, she was kicking him in the head. Really appalling.
And the note about the man that was caught. He’s 31 years old and has been arrested 25 times – 1 of them for forcible touching which is a sex offense.
I do find it interesting that the woman who was viciously beaten on the steps of the church on W. 79th St. and Broadway at 9 AM in the morning and had her jaw broken, her assailant was released… BTW, that’s not the only woman he assaulted that morning. Within a span of five minutes after he left the first woman unconscious, he went up to 80th and Broadway and assaulted another woman.
He was released without bail even though he put both women in the hospital.
Is it because the women were under the age of 60 and it was NOT elder abuse? Or was it because the governor said to make an example now because her election is close?
This weekend at Penn station, I took the train to visit my mom as I do every weekend. This was the first time that there was a visible police force and I was not harassed or pushed waiting for a train.
I went up to the police to say thank you for being there and asked was this going to happen every weekend now and they said only until the election is over.
And that is why I am fed up
Does anyone have information about the person hit by the # 1 train yesterday at 86th/Broadway?
They’re saying the man threw himself in front of the train. A suicide.
https://www.amny.com/news/man-throws-self-upper-west-side-train/
Thanks for pointing these out. Whenever a fellow reader says bail reform has no effect on crime rate or doesn’t contribute to increased crime rate, it makes me wonder – do we think if we did not let repeated and/ or violent criminals walk free, one less person would have got attacked, one less store would have got robbed, and one less person would have got pushed onto subway track and die? One or a few lives saved already is enough to justify a serious look at the current policy.
It could be, that the state of “criminal justice” is so broken, that criminals do actually get released back to society, full of anger and better focused on their will to destroy.
If you knew how many prior offenses the average criminal has, your jaw would literally drop. Why we accept such things is beyond me. Most have multiple PAGES on their printout. They just keep getting out and ruining more and more lives, but here’s the thing: NOBODY THINKS ITS GOING TO BE THEIR TURN. Crime is the only issue I vote on, all other issues are secondary until crime becomes under control, and vastly more than even when Bloomberg was Mayor. People in this city have been getting bricks to the face for decades.
This is true. A few years ago my business was robbed when a drug-addicted criminal entered our premises by following a young girl in after she was buzzed in (front door was always locked). He stole several pieces of expensive electronics. The police quickly found him and I identified him (after my internal debate as to whether or not I had the right person, so afraid I was of necessarily sending a black man to jail). All our stolen items were recovered as they were on his person. At the police station, they informed me this man had been on a robbing spree in the upper west side and had a lengthy rap sheet of multiple crimes. I had to give testimony at the grand jury hearing which was terrifying. I believe he ended up cutting a deal with the DA.
I was a “NO HOCHUL” the minute she said “I don’t know why you care so much about that?” (When talking about the no bail law) That man would have never been beaten and many other crimes would have been avoided if these criminals were already put away. And for g-d sakes, why is shoplifting under $1000 not considered a crime? That’s down right crazy. This city is asking for criminals to do these things! It’s totally insane. I don’t shop at Duane Reade anymore because of the shoplifting I see right before my eyes. And the pot smell everywhere. Right in front of the schools and playgrounds. It’s disgusting and ruining the quality of life here. I hope Zeldin wins. This city needs to wake up.
Don’t you realize that sound bite was totally taken out of context. she didn’t say that in response to crime. They can easily put in anything and make it seem like she said something so negative. If you believe TV commercials then you are not that bright. Those commercials are total BS.
The “I don’t know why you care so much about that” comment that is mentioned in the ad is EDITED in from a completely UNrelated question. It’s a fake edit job, in typical fictional ad format. If you took that literally — wow. Just wow.
It is absolutely amazing how many people take fake, edited videos and use them as proof of their views. Because of how literal the unthinking American takes these things, making it seem like a public official said something they didnt should be prosecuted and punished as a crime – with the least severe punishment being the ineligiblity to run for office. Amazing what politics might be if politicians have to actually address others true positions rather than addressing positions they make up. But that would be too civil for our society.
Probably true but Republicans aren’t the only ones who do this.
Notice how I didnt single out any one political party in that post? I think it should apply to all politicians period, not just from one particular party.
I’m glad you said that. I had the feeling it was taken (and given back to us) out of context.
I wonder if they were being sarcastic or if they actually know for a fact that the more visible police force will end right after the election.
I wondered that, myself.
We must stop releasing repeat offenders!
A repeat offender. Bail is too low.
The People requested $75K bail and the DA set the bail at $15K. Is it because the DA thinks he’s not as dangerous as the police think he is? Is that the DA’s discretion? Please tell me if I am not understanding this.
Some people are so focused on disparaging a certain person that they do so without actually understanding the meaning of their disparagement. I appreciate your line about hoping you are not understanding and actually asking for clarification.
The DA’s office represents the People, or the State. The DA’s office asked for $75,000 bail. The defense asked for lower, probably supervised release. The judge weighed the charges as well as the defendant’s financial situation and risk of flight and then could have chosen to go with the DA’s request, the defense’s request, or somewhere in between. Sometimes, they will even exceed the DA’s request. New York has had a law on the books forever that states a judge can only use bail as a means for ensuring the defendant returns to court.
So many people out there try so hard to vilify specific people, usually simply because they dont like their political party, that they misrepresent reality, either purposefully or due to an inexcusable (if a conclusion is made from it) lack of knowledge. Again, I appreciate you asking for clarification before coming to a conclusion.
The judge set the lower bail, not the DA.
The DA (the People) requests an amount, the defendant’s lawyer usually counters with a bail position and the Judge makes the final determination.
Re: bail / no bail. My understanding of the change in bail laws meant that if an offense was bailable, a defendant who could not afford bail would be treated the same as someone who could afford bail, meaning that if two individuals are arrested for the same crime, the assumption is that not having the money for bail does not mean that individual is more dangerous than the one who can post bail. So either both should be held without bail or both released without bail. This is different from reducing the number of offenses that allow bail. As far as I’m concerned, THAT should be the focus.
That is the meaning. This is why the misinformation out there stems so many to believe that the reform is causing the rise in crime based on their common sense. Common sense works best when you have all of the facts, and the facts you have are true. And this is also why academics say you cannot actually tie the short term and/or perceived rise in crime to the bail reform law.
We need more prisons not less.
15K is not enough bail…..it’s a pittance and is usually met…..let me know when this guy is out again….please!!!!!
I see crime rampant in the city and no severe action being taken to fix It. Why shouldn’t I be outraged? I guess if you haven’t been directly affected by the crime you cannot relate. Innocent people are being murdered, assaulted, raped and robbed but it’s easy to be jaded since we’ve been programmed to be used to until it happens to you or a loved one. Kathy Hochul has shown that crime is not her priority, nor is it Alvin Bragg’s—how People cannot see this is mind-boggling. Kathy Hochul has shown us NOTHING that indicates she has a plan to address this. She also only agreed to one debate, why? She’ll never ride the subway or walk the streets alone so vote for her and watch this place deteriorate further and hopefully you’re not the next victim.
Really sad and to read all these comments from men who think crime is not a big deal and we are overreacting. This is a perfect example of gaslighting.
It’s very big deal to the woman who was violently raped yesterday and it was one of two rapes in Manhattan BTW. The other rape was in Central Park.
The man who raped her had been arrested 25 times. That’s right 25 times and each time he was released. No bail.
She was choked unconscious and from a friend of the family, I heard the rape was quite violent.
Her life is ruined
And yet the men here make these comments like we are overreacting. How dare you.