A 28-year-old New York City woman who was stabbed in the neck while jogging last week has died, her family announced Tuesday. Her death comes as elected officials face growing criticism over what critics say is a lack of concrete action following a series of attacks targeting women in public spaces.
Katie Suarez died Monday after spending three days on life support, police said. An unidentified assailant approached her during a run and stabbed her in the neck, piercing an artery, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD).
The NYPD told News Outlet that Suarez was taken to a hospital after the Friday evening attack on Brooklyn’s Shore Parkway Greenway.
Police said Suarez suffered “multiple stab wounds.”
The NYPD says Katie Suarez, 28, was stabbed in the neck several times in an unprovoked attack that happened as she was on a run in Brooklyn on a popular jogging and biking path. (NYPD; Google Maps)
Suarez was a dedicated runner who had competed in races organized by New York Road Runners. Police said she was running to meet her father when she was attacked.
“We were sad to hear of this horrible attack — our hearts are with her family and the running community,” a spokesperson for the organization said.
Suarez was not registered for the New York City Marathon held this past weekend.
A spokesperson for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the governor has “zero tolerance for violence of any kind” and believes anyone responsible must face the fullest punishment allowed by law. Since taking office, the spokesperson said, Hochul has provided record funding for law enforcement and supported changes to bail and discovery laws intended to hold violent offenders accountable.
“Governor Hochul’s top priority is public safety and she will always fight to protect all New Yorkers.”
New York City Council Member Kayla Santosuosso, who represents southern Brooklyn, also addressed the killing.
In a statement to News Outlet, Santosuosso said, “I am horrified by the stabbing of Katie Suarez, and first and foremost my thoughts are with Katie and her loving family. I have been personally assured by [NYPD] Commissioner [Jessica] Tisch that the NYPD is pulling out all the stops in their efforts to catch the perpetrator.”
“The promenade where this horrific crime took place has been poorly lit for years, since well before I took office. We will be working to ensure that upcoming renovations to the pedestrian bridge near the scene and the promenade itself will include sufficient lighting.”
An NYPD officer walks towards the area where a woman was reportedly raped at knifepoint inside Central Park. (FNTV)
Santosuosso described the recent violence against women as “deeply disturbing.”
“We deserve to be able to walk and jog in our neighborhoods without worrying for our safety,” she said. “This is a serious and personal issue for me as a woman and as a mother, and I will be doing everything in my power to keep southern Brooklyn a place where women can live without fear.”
Retired NYPD inspector and Fox News contributor Paul Mauro said improved lighting, along with expanded surveillance, should be an immediate priority to help prevent similar attacks.
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“The lighting is great, but I would not only ask for that. I would ask for cameras and very ostentatious cameras.”
A 39-year-old woman was raped at knifepoint in Central Park, the NYPD said. (Getty Images: Anadolu; FNTV)
“You want people to feel like they are observed,” Mauro added.
Mauro said Santosuosso’s focus on better lighting also reflects elements of the “broken windows” policing approach associated with the Giuliani administration. The strategy emphasized addressing lower-level offenses and public disorder to deter more serious crimes. It became closely identified with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who served from 1994 to 2001.
In a separate incident, police said a 39-year-old woman was raped at knifepoint in Central Park on Oct. 24. The attack occurred across from a stretch of multimillion-dollar apartments along Fifth Avenue.
The incident marked the fifth reported sexual assault in the park this year. No arrests have been made in either recent case.
The perceived lack of visible street-level measures for ordinary New Yorkers has prompted sharp criticism, particularly when compared with the state’s forceful response to high-profile incidents involving colleges.
Last month, Hochul took the unprecedented step of intervening in an alleged gang rape at Cornell University. She appointed Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor and ordered State Police to assume responsibility for sexual assault complaints on the Ivy League campus.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at a news conference in the Bronx. (Julia Nikhinson/AP Photo, File)
Although Hochul vowed publicly not to let the Cornell case be “swept under the rug,” critics say a comparable sense of urgency has been missing for New York City residents using streets and parks across the five boroughs.
James responded to the attack on Suarez in a post on X Monday, calling it “outrageous and unacceptable.” She wrote that no New Yorker should have to fear such violence, said she was praying for Suarez’s recovery and urged anyone with information to contact @NYPDTips.
A spokesperson for Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office said, “The recent attacks on women across our city are horrific. Every New Yorker should be able to walk anywhere in our city at any time of day or night without fear of violence. The Mamdani administration is committed to ensuring that survivors are heard and supported — and that those responsible are held accountable. We will continue working with survivors, service providers and community partners to strengthen prevention, close gaps in services and confront gender-based violence.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a campaign rally. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images, File)
Neither Mamdani nor the City Council has discussed increasing patrols across the city, a notable omission in Mauro’s view.
“Nobody will be willing to admit that good policing keeps people safe because they need the police as something to beat up on,” he said.
With city leaders not publicly committing to additional patrols after the recent attacks, Mauro urged young women who live in New York or are considering moving there to understand the risks they may face.
“Young women, you better understand what you’re getting into because you are joining a city whose leadership does not prioritize your safety. They take it for granted, and they are willing to countenance instances like this in furtherance of some wrongheaded notional agenda that is going to lead us all into some socialist egalitarian Shangri-La that is never going to arrive.”
