MTA head calls for city subway travel ban against suspect in beating of train cleaner
The head of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, after a Bronx station cleaner was hospitalized in a vicious on-the-job assault, called Friday for a three-year subway ridership ban on the accused attacker if a jury finds him guilty.
“Attacks on transit workers are unacceptable and we must do everything we can to prevent them and keep our customers and our employees safe,” said MTA Chair/CEO Janno Lieber, who intends to send a letter with the request to Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark.
Suspect Alexander Wright, 49, has a rap sheet of at least 13 prior arrests, including some within the transit system, authorities said. Wright was arrested three times in a single day on May 10, 2021, for two assaults and criminal mischief resulting in property damage.
“Given the horrific actions of Mr. Wright and his long history of arrests — some of which were for similarly violent attacks — this penalty is warranted,” said Lieber.
MTA worker Anthony Nelson, 35, was sprucing up the Pelham Bay Park station, the last stop on the No. 6 line, when a straphanger told him someone was bothering women outside around 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 11, police said. When he came down from the elevated stop to investigate, the man ambushed Nelson and knocked him to the sidewalk, said cops.
The victim’s sister, at a Transit Local 100 rally Nelson attended Friday but kept a low profile, offered no sympathy for the suspect. Her brother suffered a broken nose and right shoulder in the attack.
“There is nothing we want to say to him,” said Nashia Nelson. “We just want justice. My brother’s in a whole lot of pain.”
Union representative Damon Shelly, 42, said the attack was indicative of the dangers faced by many subway employees on a daily basis.
“People avoid the subway because they feel it’s unsafe,” he said. “We’re in the subway for eight hours, no gun, no badge, no anything. And we’re targets.”
