PICTURED: Hero EMT, 61, stabbed to death while giving aid to patient in Astoria Queens: Suspect is arrested for ‘barbaric and unprovoked attack’ after FDNY veteran and World Trade Center responder was knifed in the neck
- Alison Russo-Elling, 61, a close to 25-year-veteran of the FDNY, was stabbed to death while rendering aid to a patient in Astoria, Queens at 2.20pm on Thursday
- Police say an emotionally disturbed relative of the patient stabbed the 61-year-old medic multiple times in the neck
- She was then rushed to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead
- A suspect has been taken into custody after reportedly barricading himself inside a nearby building
<!–
<!–
<!–<!–
<!–
(function (src, d, tag){ var s = d.createElement(tag), prev = d.getElementsByTagName(tag)[0]; s.src = src; prev.parentNode.insertBefore(s, prev); }(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/1.17.0/async_bundle–.js”, document, “script”));
<!– DM.loadCSS(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/gunther-2159/video_bundle–.css”);
<!–
A ‘hero’ Emergency Medical Service Lieutenant (EMS) and World Trade Center first responder has died after being stabbed to death while rendering aid to a patient in Queens.
The New York City Fire Department have released a photo of Alison Russo-Elling, 61, calling the courageous frontline worker a 24-year veteran in the field.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams gave his condolences to the city of New York, Russo-Elling’s family, friends and colleagues.
‘We lost one of our heroes she provided a service for this city for over 24 years,’ he said.
‘Her assailant has been apprehended and will be held accountable for his actions.’
Emergency Medical Service Lieutenant and World Trade Center first responder, Alison Russo-Elling (pictured), 61, has died after being stabbed while rendering aid to a patient in Queens
Russo-Elling’s picture was released by colleagues on Thursday evening by the New York City Fire Department detailing her long career as a front line worker
The EMS lieutenant, who was also known for her work as a World Trade Center first responder, was then rushed to Mount Sinai Queens, where she was pronounced dead at 3.06pm
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (center) gave his condolences to the city of New York, Russo-Elling’s family and friends and colleagues
Russo-Elling was stabbed to death in Queens on Thursday as crime in the Big Apple continues to spiral out of control.
Police say the 61-year-old medic was rendering aid to a patient in the Astoria neighborhood at 2.20pm, when an emotionally disturbed relative of the patient stabbed her multiple times in the neck.
The EMS lieutenant, who has worked for the Fire Department of New York for more than 20 years, was then rushed to Mount Sinai Queens, where she was pronounced dead at 3.06pm.
Law enforcement officials later told NBC New York the EMT was stabbed from behind after leaving her station.
The suspect then escaped authorities and barricaded himself inside a nearby building before riot crews went in and were able to arrest him.
Police were seen remaining on the scene of 20th Avenue near 41st Street Thursday afternoon as they took a suspect into custody.
In a tweet posted at 3.20pm, Mayor Eric Adams’ press secretary, Fabien Levy, said the mayor has been ‘initially briefed’ on the stabbing and ‘is enroute to Mt. Sinai Hospital in Queens.’
Police cordoned off the area in which the 61-year-old EMS lieutenant was stabbed while rendering aid to a patient in Astoria, Queens
Authorities say the incident happened at 2.20pm in the Astoria neighborhood
Police say the woman was killed by a mentally ill relative of the patient she was treating
The incident comes as crime in the Big Apple is up over 33 percent from last year.
Driving the increase is a more than 37 percent increase in the number of robberies, and a 32.4 percent increase in burglaries.
Felony assaults are also up 16.6 percent over last year, while grand larcenies are up a whopping 43 percent.
But the mayor had fled the crumbling city over the weekend to visit hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, which he refers to as New York’s ‘sixth borough.’
Adams arrived in Puerto Rico on Saturday night to survey the damage from Hurricane Fiona and reassured the people there that New York City is ready to provide immediate assistance.
He returned from the trip on Tuesday, after telling San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero that Puerto Rico is the ‘sixth borough of New York. We’re tied at the hip.’
But Adams’ words were criticized on social media by many New York residents who said the mayor should be focusing on the city’s five boroughs instead.
Read Related Also: Chilling Details About The Boston Irish Gang Wars
And a woman who was punched to the ground by a homeless career criminal at a Queens subway station lashed out at the mayor for the trip as the city’s crime wave continues.
The 61-year-old later died due to her injuries at a local hospital
Police remained on the scene of 20th Avenue near 41st Street most of Thursday afternoon
A large contingent of law enforcement and FDNY was seen gathered after the stabbing
‘When we’re out there, we’re by ourselves, we’re fighting these battles by ourselves, and what they do, they go try to help other countries that have nothing to do with what we’re going through in our own place,’ Elizabeth Gomes, 33, told the New York Post.
She added: ‘Our city needs major help. We’re going through a lot here.
‘I remember hearing that they would have cops posted on platforms, riding the trains, cops down in a subway. Mayor Adams said especially in the subway,’ she said of Adams’ proposal to increase patrols.
But she said she now believes her injuries are proof that the mayor hasn’t put more cops in subway stations, saying ‘Obviously, the government or nobody is doing anything for us.’
The mother of five children said that ‘my life has changed, everything changed’ and that she’s ‘scared to even leave my house’ and doesn’t ‘even want to take the train.’
She said of her decade-long service at John F Kennedy Airport: ‘You know, I love my job so much, and part of me, like, doesn’t want to go back because I’m scared.’
Her husband, Clement Tucker, echoed Gomes’ previous worries that she may lose her eyesight in one eye.
Elizabeth Gomes (pictured), a security guard at JFK Airport was savagely beaten by a homeless career criminal at the airport subway station lashed out at New York City Mayor Eric Adams and local politicians for failing to stop the Big Apple’s crime wave
New York City Mayor Eric Adams arrived in Puerto Rico on Saturday to survey the damage from Hurricane Fiona and reassured the people there that New York City is ready to provide immediate assistance
Adams tours a village outside Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, which was damaged by Hurricane Fiona
Gomes arrived at the Howard Beach station in Queens, New York City, at around 5:15am on September 20.
Waheed Foster, 41, tried to start a conversation, but when she ignored him he flung himself at her – dragging her to the ground then kicking and punching her.
Foster, who was arrested for murdering his 82-year-old foster grandmother in a brutal beating at the age of 14, rained blows down Gomes as she cowered on the floor.
One man tried to come to Gomes’s aid, but Foster chased him away and then resumed attacking her.
He then walked away, leaving Gomes on the floor. The vagrant was arrested shortly after.
Gomes is seen being grabbed from behind by Waheed Foster, 41 – who she had ignored as he tried to speak to her when she got off the train
Foster, who beat his foster grandmother to death when he was 14, grabbed Gomes
Foster then kicked her as she lay on the ground, trying to shield herself
She said doctors told her she may lose her sight in her right eye, and she said she has been unable to sleep, left with a throbbing head.
‘Every day is an incident in the subway,’ she said. ‘What happened to all these police officer they said they will have there to protect us? There’s like nobody to be found. I don’t understand.’
She said Foster was muttering about Satan when he attacked her.
‘He’s talking about the devil. He’s talking about a whole bunch of nonsense,’ Gomes said.
Foster has been charged with felony assault.
He has two other pending criminal cases against him, on charges of criminal mischief and minor theft.
Advertisement
Read more:
