Yesterday, a MTA worker was arrested for allegedly punching a subway rider in the face at the 138th Street 6 train station in the Bronx. Police said that Phylathia Monroe got out of the subway token booth to confront a passenger and then allegedly assaulted her. Last night, the victim, Janet Ojeda, told WCBS 2, "She came [out] and she swung me against the gate and she picked me up with one hand and she was just looking straight into my eyes … like… I started seeing a blur. And I’m trying to get air. And she could hear me, but she didn’t let go. It was scary. All I was thinking was if I was going to see my family again."
This unfolded at 5:30 a.m. and apparently Monroe got impatient with Ojeda: "Ojeda was going to work and was, she said, 10 cents short on a MetroCard when Monroe called for the next customer through. Ojeda said she found the dime, but that’s when the argument began. She claimed Monroe got out of the booth, put her finger in her face and punched her."
When Ojeda was freed, she went to a police station to file a report. Her lawyer, Justin Blitz, said, “This was a really big woman, and the victim is a really little lady," and added, "We intend to look at all the legal remedies on her behalf, and we’re confident we will be successful." Ojeda said, "I want justice. And she didn’t just assault me, she tried to kill me." So a lawsuit is totally on the way.
