Maria Ambrocio: New Jersey nurse hurled to the ground by mugger, dies
BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY: A New Jersey cancer nurse who was sent crashing into the sidewalk by a fleeing homeless man died on Saturday evening, October 9. Maria Ambrocio, 58, was hurled to the sidewalk near Times Square by a man suspected in two robberies within two hours. The nurse from Bayonne was waiting to see her family for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
“They just pulled the plug on her. She’s gone,” Maria Ambrocio’s brother Carlito told New York Post. Before her death, her family had claimed that the attack her left her 'brain dead'. "This is the first time we are seeing her since COVID and this is how we see her? It's overwhelmingly sad," a female cousin of Maria had said, adding that they were all waiting to see her after the long gap. Maria's brother, Carlito Spa Maria, had said that "she doesn't have much time," her blood pressure is dropping and she is "brain dead."
READ MORE:
Who is Michael John Despres? Florida man kills fiancée, sleeps next to her corpse
Shaun Runyon: Electrician kills 3 coworkers with baseball bat after argument with boss
What happened to Maria?
Maria was making her way through the Crossroads of the World after she had stopped at the Philippines Consulate in Midtown. This is when Jermaine Foster, who was fleeing the scene of a crime, bowled her over. Foster, 26, was fleeing after he swiped a 29-year-old woman's phone at nearby West 41st Street and Broadway, shortly after forcing himself into a woman's apartment on Sixth Avenue and 38th Street. Maria suffered head trauma as a result of the attack, police said.
Emilia Cruz, 70, a nurse who worked at Bayonne Medical Center with Maria, was walking with her when the incident took place. “There were lots of people and we were trying to maneuver,” Cruz said, adding that she saw the suspect being chased. “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,” Cruz said. “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.’”
Maria was fighting for her life at Bellevue. The Philippines native, who lived in Bayonne, was an oncology nurse. She had previously worked at Beth Israel Hospital in Manhattan. Stating that what happened is difficult to fathom, her cousin said, "Crime has been rampant in the city. If they are mentally ill, why are they on the streets? They should be taken care of.” Foster has been charged with robbery and assault in connection with the incidents.