Nurse assaulted by madman with history of attacks on medical staff blames NYC’s ‘soft-on-crime laws’
A Bronx nurse who was allegedly assaulted by an undocumented immigrant with a history of attacks on female medical workers has blamed the Big Apple’s “soft-on-crime” laws for her attack.
Chelsea Mora told Fox News she was struck by Edward Johnson, 57 — who is believed to have entered the US illegally from the Caribbean over a decade ago — while trying to take his vitals on Jan. 13 at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx.
Johnson has been arrested 23 times and has allegedly attacked hospital workers in at least four incidents since 2019, according to sources and records.
Roughly four months before he was accused of hitting Mora in the face, Johnson assaulted emergency room doctor Colleen Leahy at St. Barnabas.
Leahy told police she was attacked by him last September and in July 2022.
Mora, 26, said her attacker should never have been let out back on the streets.
“This one particular gentleman has over 20 open cases, and he’s out on the streets abusing and assaulting people,” she said.
If he had been arrested and detained after the Sept. 18 assault, Mora wouldn’t have been his latest victim.
She said she suffered a corneal hematoma and developed PTSD from the assault.
“We wake up every morning or night, we work 12 hours to 16-hour shifts to help people help the most vulnerable in our society, help our sick patients in underserved communities, and we get abused,” Mora told Fox News.
She said the abuse is often blamed on mental health disorders and are often ignored.
“These people need to be institutionalized if, in fact, they are mentally disabled, not back on the streets,” the nurse said.
Following his alleged attack on Mora, Johnson — who has another 42 sealed arrests in the US — was arrested and charged with assault but was freed on supervised release two days later.
He then failed to comply with the conditions of the supervised release and is on the lam, authorities said.
A warrant for his arrest was issued last month and the case is currently being presented to a grand jury to secure an indictment against him.
Mora said she was disheartened to hear he’s back out yet again.
“It seems to be a severe problem in New York City now,” Mora told Fox. “I think these soft-on-crime laws that are being implemented aren’t helping us, like citizens of New York, [and] aren’t helping healthcare staff in dealing with these types of criminals.”
She added that it was “disheartening” to learn that her alleged attacker was in the country illegally and has been “given so many chances.”
“Every time he goes to the hospital, he beats up a nurse or a doctor,” an NYPD source previously told The Post.
Dr. Leahy, 28, said she’s afraid at work every day since she was attacked twice by Johnson.
“It’s infuriating that he keeps doing this to healthcare workers — especially women — and then is let go,” Leahy said. “They had him in custody multiple times, so why is he being let go to attack other people, other healthcare workers?”
