BAYONNE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) — A New Jersey nurse who was critically injured after being knocked to the ground by an alleged mugger in Times Square has died.
A little more than 24 hours after oncology nurse Maria Ambrocio was assaulted in Times Square, she was taken off life support and died.
Her close friend Emilia Cruz was at her side, along with family.
“It is a horrible thing. I don’t know what to tell you,” she told CBS2’s Kiran Dhillon. “I can’t feel it now because she’s gone. She’s gone.”
Cruz can barely catch her breath.
“She was every friend that anybody wants to have. She was a very kind person. Extremely sincere, honest and loving,” she said.
Both nurses at Bayonne Medical Center, Cruz and Ambrocio were in Times Square on Friday afternoon. Cruz says they had just finished lunch when a man plowed into Ambrocio outside a pizzeria.
Police say that man was being chased after stealing another man’s phone.
Ambrocio fell and cracked her skull when her head hit the pavement.
“I hope that he will be charged and, you know, justice should be served, so my friend’s life won’t be in vain,” Cruz said.
Police say the homeless man, 26-year-old Jermaine Foster, took off but was later caught and arrested. They also say Foster was involved in another theft at a woman’s apartment shortly before the incident in Times Square.
In Bayonne, where Ambrocio worked as a nurse for more than two decades, Mayor Jimmy Davis says he befriended her during the pandemic, even seeing her just last week. He says he was always in awe of her commitment to her patients, adding her passing has left a permanent hole in the community.
“She’s a sweetheart. She was a loving person, a caring person. All she ever wanted to do was help. Even during the pandemic, she worked extra hours. She did everything she had to do for the people of the city of Bayonne,” Davis said.
Ambrocio’s friends tell us she was married and had step-children. A committed member of her church and the Filipino community, they add in addition to helping people, she loved music and travelling.
“She is like a sister to me, a younger sister. She’s a good nurse, an excellent nurse,” Cruz said.
They say their friend will be remembered for her giving heart and her endless devotion to helping others.
Foster faces multiple charges, including robbery, assault and burglary.
CBS2’s Kiran Dhillon contributed to this report.
from CBS New York https://ift.tt/2Izr88c
