Man Charged In Beating, Robbery Of Woman On Stairs At Brooklyn Subway Station
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A man was arrested and charged Wednesday in connection with a violent attack on a woman at the Borough Park subway station in Brooklyn.
Aidan Folan, 21, has been charged with robbery and assault in connection with the brutal March 9 assault, police said.
Dina Perez, 56, got off a southbound F train at the 18th Avenue station around 2:40 a.m. when the man attacked her, police said. He fled with unspecified personal items he stole from the woman, police said.
The entire attack was captured on surveillance video and goes on for a few minutes. Perez is seen walking down the right side of the stairs from the platform, while the suspect follows a short distance behind her on the left side.
Once they reach the bottom of the stairs, the man grabs Perez, throws her to the ground, kicks her, stomps on her and bangs her head against the wall, before emptying what appears to be her purse. The man then runs out the swinging door that leads to and from the staircase.
When Perez tries to escape, the suspect pursues her again.
Nursing a broken hand and still bruised Wednesday, Perez told CBS 2's Dave Carlin about the horrifying experience.
"He hit me in the face," she said.
Perez said she recognizes both the face and the clothing.
"He pushed me, hit me, hit me for 15 minutes -- very strong," she said. "I don't understand -- terrible people; maybe sick."
Meanwhile, Folan was tight-lipped about his alleged brutal crime as he was led off Wednesday.
He was wearing handcuffs, but he was not wearing a hoodie, now in evidence, that investigators said gave them their biggest break in this case, CBS 2's Carlin reported.
On the front of the hoodie are the Greek letters for the Alpha Phi Delta fraternity. Folan has it on in several photos on social media. On the back is a slang term in Italian and the number 27. Police said they linked both the hoodie and the nickname to Folan.
Investigators believe the hoodie refers to a Fraternity for St. Francis College, where Folan was enrolled for a year before dropping out.
Folan had told people he worked as a counselor at the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. But at least two longtime counselors there told us they don't remember ever seeing him.
With the shocking violence and the identifying sweat shirt, Perez wondered what the suspect was thinking.
"Maybe it's people's first time," she said. "I don't know."
And while Perez said the arrest brings relief, there is still fear that will keep her from going back on the trains.
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