A New Jersey woman was left fighting for her life Friday after a creep allegedly knocked her down
Police said charges were upgraded Sunday against Jermaine Foster, 26, in the death of Maria Ambrocio, who was pronounced dead due to a head injury.
nypost.com
Times Square ‘mugger’ held on murder charges in NJ nurse death
By
Social Links for Kevin Sheehan ,
Social Links for Reuven Fenton ,
Social Links for Tina Moore and
Social Links for Jorge Fitz-Gibbon
Published Oct. 10, 2021
Updated Oct. 11, 2021, 6:47 a.m. ET
The homeless mugger who plowed into a New Jersey nurse and left her for dead in Times Square was tossed behind bars Sunday on upgraded charges of murder.
Jermaine Foster, 26, was ordered held without bail at his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court after the family of Maria Ambrocio
took her off life support Saturday.
“Of course that’s the correct charge,” Ambrocio’s brother, Carlito Sta Maria, said about the murder rap Sunday night. “But, nevertheless, it is not going to bring my sister back.”
Witnesses said Foster was seen sprinting full speed through the Crossroads of the World after allegedly snatching another woman’s cell phone at West 41st Street and Broadway, according to a criminal complaint.
Foster — whose family says suffers from mental health issues — crashed into Ambrocio, a 58-year-old cancer nurse at Bayonne Medical Center.
Ambrocio slammed her head on the pavement, knocking her unconscious and leaving her foaming at the mouth, the complaint said.
“Hopefully, he is going to be sent to prison and not a mental hospital,” Sta Maria said.
Foster’s mom denied her troubled son was a thief, saying he was mentally ill and lived in a homeless shelter following the COVID-19-related death of his father, his primary caretaker.
“Did he accidentally bump into her when he was running? Or he just pushed her?” the woman, who didn’t want to be identified, told The Post over the phone. “He’s not a violent person.”
She added, though, “If someone said he was begging you for something, then yes, he would beg.”
5
Maria Ambrocio was pronounced dead after being barreled into by Jermaine Foster in Times Square. According to her family, she never regained consciousness and was declared brain dead.
“I’m an African prince!”
Jermaine Foster has been charged with the murder of Maria Ambrocio after he ran into her in Times Square and caused her to have a sever brain injury.
The mom said she wasn’t sure what her son, whom she last saw in June or July, suffered from — but that his medication included a “monthly shot.”
“He was on his medication and he drove here to New Jersey,” she said. “He was here and he didn’t want his shot to run out so he went back to New York.”
Foster’s stepfather claimed the accused killer has “been in and out of the hospital for mental issues.”
“He’s been in and out of the hospital for mental issues,” his stepdad said. “He’s been in the system almost a year. He has a social worker. The city gave him a social worker. When he don’t take his medication he might get a little angry.”
Foster’s alleged crime spree on Saturday began with him barging into a woman’s apartment at Sixth Avenue and 38th Street — where he sat on her couch screaming “I’m an African prince!” before bolting with about $15, the victim previously told The Post.
He then allegedly snatched the 29-year-old woman’s cell phone from behind in Times Square before slamming into Ambrocio at about 1:30 p.m.
5
Jermaine Foster, 26, is arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court for the death of Maria Ambrocio. Pool
Ambrocio, a nurse of 25 years, had just accompanied a pal to the Philippines Consulate in Midtown and was coming from lunch with her friends, her family said.
She never regained consciousness and was declared brain dead.
“The victim, in this case, died approximately 30 hours after the defendant knocked her over while fleeing from a robbery, causing her to hit the ground and suffer a traumatic brain injury,” Manhattan prosecutor Kevin Ryan told Judge Frank Nervo as Foster was arraigned on all three incidents. “She never woke from the injury and had lost all neuro function prior to passing.”
In one complaint, Foster was charged with second-degree murder in Ambrocio’s death and two counts of robbery in the alleged cell phone snatch.
He is also charged with robbery and burglary for allegedly breaking into the third victim’s home and stealing money, the complaint said. In that case, Foster allegedly left behind “a number of personal articles,” including a bracelet and a pair of headphones, court papers say.
5
Foster barreled into Ambrocio in Times Square around 1:30 p.m. Saturday. iStock
Foster, whose last known address is in Irvington, NJ, was ordered held without bail in the murder case, while Nervo set bail at $50,000 in the alleged home invasion.
It is unclear what, if any, mental health treatment Foster may have received from the city. Health officials and City Hall did not return messages seeking comment.
In a statement, Tom Harris, the president of the Times Square Alliance, which promotes the tourist hot spot, offered condolences to Ambrocio’s family — while slamming city officials for not doing more to prevent her death.
“The killing of Maria Ambrocio near Times Square highlights one of our city’s greatest public safety challenges, the proliferation of people with untreated mental illness and drug addictions on our streets committing crimes without an effective strategy to address them,” said Harris. “Our city needs to come together and solve these problems and those of us who work in these areas are willing and able to help. Let her death not be in vain.”
Harris’ counterpart in the Garment District, Barbara Blair, said the Big Apple was “under siege with mentally and emotionally ill individuals” as she took aim at the soft-on-crime bail reform law passed in 2020.
“The state legislature, the governor and the NYC council must revisit bail reform with an eye on removing recidivists from the public realm and ensuring safety for all who live, work in or visit NYC,” said Blair, president of the Garment District Alliance. “What happened is untenable, tragic but predictable. It is up to government to get people the help they need, remove individuals from the streets voluntarily or involuntarily to ensure the safety of all.”
Cornered feral animal.
5
Jermaine Foster has one prior arrest in New York, according to police. Pool
Midtown has endured a spike in violence in recent months — including three people
who’ve been shot in Times Square — while the Garment District has become a broad-daylight
shooting gallery for addicts.
Last month, a New Jersey commuter was
struck with a stray bullet outside Penn Station during rush hour.
Ambrocio had worked for CarePoint Health and was an oncology nurse at the Bayonne hospital for a quarter of a century.
“We are struggling to reconcile how this incredible nurse is suddenly no longer with us,” CarePoint CEO Dr. Achintya Moulick said in a statement. “Maria gave so much of her life to her community and patients, including her incredible sacrifices during the pandemic.
“Her life and commitment to patients and community inspire us,” Moulick continued. “We are committed to ensuring her example and legacy drive us to improve patient care in the communities we serve.”
Foster has one prior arrest in the Big Apple, according to police — he was charged with forcible touching on Sept. 12 for allegedly groping the backside of a 30-year-old woman at Broadway and West 36th Street.
In that case, Manhattan prosecutors asked Judge Laurie Peterson to hold Foster on $3,000 bail or a $5,000 bond, but the judge released him without bail pending a return court appearance on Oct. 21.
Meanwhile, mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa on Sunday spoke out about the attack on Ambrocio and wrote a letter of apology to the Philippine Consulate over her death.
“Why do we have emotionally disturbed persons roaming the streets, the subways, the parks?” Sliwa said at a press conference. “We cannot blame these men and women for their transgressions. We know that they have psychotic disorders. We know that they need mental health care.”
Foster’s stepdad had a hard time wrapping his head around Ambrocio’s death.
“I’m lost, I’m lost,” he said. Last week, he recalled Foster calling him and asking for money.
“I told him to call his mother. I can’t say what happened but I know he’s not an instigator. He’s a Christian and all that.”
5 
5 
5 
5