A man charged for sucker punching an Asian woman in New York City’s Chinatown last year is back behind bars after allegedly attacking an MTA worker last week.
Alexander Wright, 49, is accused of beating subway cleaner Anthony Nelson at the Pelham Bay Park Station on the No. 6 line at around 8:40 a.m. last Thursday. Reports say Nelson confronted Wright, who had been harassing other customers.
Nelson, 35, wound up in the hospital with a dislocated nose and broken collarbone. He underwent surgery on Monday and has remained hospitalized as of Tuesday.
“This man Alexander Wright should not be walking the streets,” said Nelson’s mother, Lisa, according to the New York Post. “I hope these politicians and these judges give him the max that he deserves and do not let him walk free.”
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Wright, a known transient, was taken into custody shortly after the incident. Police sources said this is his 42nd arrest, as per Eyewitness News.
His last arrest occurred in June 2021 after he allegedly assaulted a 55-year-old Asian woman in Chinatown. Surveillance video shows the moment a man sucker punches the victim without provocation, knocking her out instantly.
Wright has been charged with two counts of assault and one count of harassment in the latest incident. He remains held on a $5,000 bail.
He reportedly appeared briefly at The Bronx County Courthouse on Tuesday, but his hearing was adjourned to Friday. A union rally attended by Nelson’s family and supporters took place on the same day outside the building.
“To assault an MTA employee is a felony charge up to seven years. We want the maximum,” Robert Kelley of Transport Workers Union Local 100 said, according to CBS New York.
Meanwhile, Nelson, who is recovering from two surgeries, said he does not regret intervening.
“You can’t turn a blind eye to helping people. We need to be considerate to fellow New Yorkers. I would do it again,” he told PIX 11.
