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 historical past of assaults on feminine medical staff has blamed the Huge Apple’s “soft-on-crime” legal guidelines for her assault.

Chelsea Mora advised Fox Information she was struck by Edward Johnson, 57 — who’s believed to have entered the US illegally from the Caribbean over a decade in the past — whereas making an attempt to take his vitals on Jan. 13 at Jacobi Medical Middle within the Bronx.

Johnson has been arrested 23 instances and has allegedly attacked hospital staff in at the least 4 incidents since 2019, based on sources and data.

Roughly 4 months earlier than he was accused of hitting Mora within the face, Johnson assaulted emergency room physician Colleen Leahy at St. Barnabas.

Leahy advised police she was attacked by him final September and in July 2022.

Mora, 26, mentioned her attacker ought to by no means have been set free again on the streets.

“This one specific gentleman has over 20 open circumstances, and he’s out on the streets abusing and assaulting individuals,” she mentioned.

If he had been arrested and detained after the Sept. 18 assault, Mora wouldn’t have been his newest sufferer.

She mentioned she suffered a corneal hematoma and developed PTSD from the assault.

“We get up each morning or evening, we work 12 hours to 16-hour shifts to assist individuals assist essentially the most weak in our society, assist our sick sufferers in underserved communities, and we get abused,” Mora advised Fox Information.

She mentioned the abuse is commonly blamed on psychological well being issues and are sometimes ignored.

“These individuals have to be institutionalized if, in actual fact, they’re mentally disabled, not again on the streets,” the nurse mentioned.

Following his alleged assault on Mora, Johnson — who has one other 42 sealed arrests within the US — was arrested and charged with assault however was freed on supervised launch two days later.

He then did not adjust to the situations of the supervised launch and is on the lam, authorities mentioned.

A warrant for his arrest was issued final month and the case is at the moment being offered to a grand jury to safe an indictment in opposition to him.

Mora mentioned she was disheartened to listen to he’s again out but once more.

“It appears to be a extreme downside in New York Metropolis now,” Mora advised Fox. “I feel these soft-on-crime legal guidelines which are being applied aren’t serving to us, like residents of New York, [and] aren’t serving to healthcare employees in coping with these kinds of criminals.”

She added that it was “disheartening” to study that her alleged attacker was within the nation illegally and has been “given so many probabilities.”

“Each time he goes to the hospital, he beats up a nurse or a health care provider,” an NYPD supply beforehand advised The Put up.

Dr. Leahy, 28, mentioned she’s afraid at work day by day since she was attacked twice by Johnson.

“It’s infuriating that he retains doing this to healthcare staff — particularly girls — after which is let go,” Leahy mentioned. “That they had him in custody a number of instances, so why is he being let go to assault different individuals, different healthcare staff?”