Random attacks put New Yorkers on edge, highlight flaws in mental health care

Carlton McPherson is accused of fatally shoving a man into the path of an oncoming 4 train.

Xavier Israel allegedly hit “Boardwalk Empire” star Michael Stuhlbarg in the head with a rock. 

The outcomes of these two assaults were profoundly different, but the narrative was familiar: The alleged assailants each had a history of psychiatric problems and encounters with an inadequate mental health care system where too many people fall through the cracks. They had no connection to their alleged victims.

“I feel like New Yorkers are already aware of their surroundings, but now, it feels like it’s really serious, and we have to be more aware now,” said Kaylie Fernandez, 19, from Queens.

The attacks, along with other episodes, have set the city on edge. While Mayor Adams points to dropping crime rates since he took office in 2022, a rash of random assaults — including women being punched on the streets — shows the effect of unpredictability. The randomness of the attacks, and the fury behind them, have shaken the city.

“If I’m just walking down the street minding my own business, or if I’m just walking down the street looking at my phone, I shouldn’t have any fear of getting punched in the face or getting a rock thrown at me, but that’s not the case,” said Christopher Herrmann, an associate professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “The case is, a lot of people are afraid, and rightfully so.”

A key factor often cited in the conversation about random attacks is mental illness, though the full picture is far more complex and varied. Both McPherson and Israel had run into a system often criticized for both putting New Yorkers at risk and failing those desperately in need of care.

McPherson, who was homeless, had been arrested several times before the subway shoving incident and had been labeled as an “emotionally disturbed person” by cops. Late last month, he walked into Manhattan Criminal Court for his arraignment on murder charges visibly incoherent, making high-pitched squealing sounds and spitting on the floor. He’s being held without bail.

Before that appearance, he had bounced between different shelters, never getting the help he needed, even at shelters designed for those with mental illness and despite his family’s efforts to help him, according to reporting from the Times. 

Mayor Adams has referenced McPherson’s attack as an example of the often tandem issues of mental illness and recidivism.

For his part, before the most recent attack with a rock in Central Park, Israel was arrested in January 2022 for attacking a man who literally gave him the coat off his back when he saw Israel sleeping on the sidewalk near Bryant Park. He was also charged with two more assaults, but a mental health exam by the court found him mentally unfit to stand trial for the charge, and he was sent to the Office of Mental Health to receive treatment.

He’s currently being held on $50,000 bail after being charged with assault.

“I think most people don’t have much faith in the mental health system that we have. And the safety net is not really there,” Herrmann said. 

These attacks come amid a bout of random street punchings, with young women taking to TikTok to share their experiences — and injuries. Cops have investigated 12 random punching incidents over the past two weeks and have made six arrests, the NYPD chief of detectives said Wednesday.

“The chances of you getting victimized are very, very, very, very, very, very slim, but, again, it happens,” Herrmann said. “And we see it happening, we hear about it happening and it is random. So, it’s not like we shouldn’t be aware or concerned about it.”

The impact of the statistics, headlines and viral TikToks is apparent on the streets and subway platforms of the city. New Yorkers now cautiously eye the edge of the train platform, tuck their phones in their pockets or turn down the music in their earbuds.

Fernandez, of Queens, has felt on edge since the viral punching videos. She walks to work with her taser easily accessible in her pocket. She works as a barista near Washington Square Park, the general area of the punchings. The randomness of it makes it feel like she could always be next.

“What am I supposed to do if a 200-pound man attacks me?” she wondered.

“Definitely, you just have to be aware,” said Jesus Hernandez, 20, from the Lower East Side. “Because New York, let’s be real, New York is already pretty unsafe, it’s just something new every day.”

“It’s crazy. I mean, who wouldn’t feel, like negative about all that?” Hernandez, who works as a doorman, said.

Barry, a retiree from the East Village who declined to share his last name, said he’s struggling to make sense of the different narratives floated by politicians and news media.

“The main thing is, if people feel there’s more crime, there will be more crime, because there’ll be fewer people around, and having people around is what makes the city safe,” Barry, 72, said.

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