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‘Madman’ illegal migrant accused of serially assaults female docs, nurses in the Bronx is on the lam
An unhinged madman with a long rap sheet is allegedly targeting female doctors and nurses in The Bronx — with at least four attacks over the past five years — and now he’s back on…
nypost.com
‘Madman’ illegal migrant accused of serially assaults female docs, nurses in the Bronx is on the lam
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Published March 3, 2024
Updated March 3, 2024, 11:54 a.m. ET
An unhinged madman with a long rap sheet is allegedly targeting female doctors and nurses in The Bronx — with at least four attacks over the past five years, The Post has learned.
Edward Johnson, 57, an illegal immigrant believed to be from the Caribbean who came to the United States over a decade ago, has been arrested 23 times on charges that include gun possession, according to sources and records. He has another 42 arrests that have been sealed since he arrived in the US.
He skipped out on supervised release and is on the lam, authorities said — and has a dangerous habit of attacking female healthcare workers who try to treat him.
“Every time he goes to the hospital, he beats up a nurse or a doctor,” said an NYPD source.
5 Authorities are on the lookout for Edward Johnson, an unhinged madman with a long rap sheet who is allegedly assaulting female doctors and nurses in The Bronx. Following his latest arrest in January, he violated his terms of supervised release and went on the run.
5 Colleen Leahy was left with bruised right eye after Johnson allegedly punched her in July 2022. Courtesy of Colleen Leahy
He has logged four such assaults at three Bronx hospitals since 2019, sources said, and a repeat victim is Colleen Leahy, an emergency room doctor at St. Barnabas. She told cops she was attacked by him in July 2022 and again last September.
“I’m afraid every day at work — every day,” said Leahy, 28, who has lost 20 pounds since the September beating because of the anxiety she feels over his impending return.
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And her mom is terrified, too.
“I’m afraid my daughter will become the next Laken Riley,” said Eileen Leahy, referring to the Georgia nursing student who allegedly was murdered by an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, six months after authorities released him following a child-endangered arrest in Queens.
The hospital attacks date back to December 2019, when Johnson was arrested on assault charges for punching a 45-year-old female doctor in the mouth and a 61-year-old female nurse in the chest at Albert Einstein Hospital in Morris Park.
His last arrest was Jan. 13 at Jacobi Medical Center in Pelham Gardens, for allegedly socking a 26-year-old nurse in the eye after she tried to take his blood pressure, police sources said. The unidentified nurse suffered a bruised, swollen eye, and Johnson was slapped with assault charges.
After he skipped authorities by not complying with his supervised release, a warrant for his arrest was issued last month. Patrice O’Shaughnessy, a spokeswoman for Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, said the case is currently being presented to a grand jury to secure an indictment against Johnson.
5 Eileen Leahy said she’s afraid her daughter Colleen “will become the next Laken Riley,” referring to the Georgia nursing student (shown here) who was allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant. Facebook / Laken Riley
Johnson first allegedly attacked Leahy at St. Barnabas on July 16, 2022 while the ER doctor – only two months on the job — was trying to care for him. He punched her in the right eye, severely bruising it, according to authorities.
He refused to give his name to cops, but he was ultimately charged with second-degree assault and injuring a healthcare worker. He spent eight months behind bars – but the details of his release remain unclear.
Leahy said an assistant district attorney working for Clark called her in April 2023 and explained the office wouldn’t take the case to trial because it doesn’t want to “hurt [Johnson’s] immigration status” and believes his eight months served as a detainee was enough.
5 Bronx DA Darcel Clark’s office is currently trying to secure a grand jury indictment against Johnson after he violated his supervised release. Kevin C. Downs for NY Post
However, O’Shaughnessy insisted Johnson’s immigration status didn’t play a role in the decision.
She said he copped a plea deal to the lesser charge of attempted assault — which meant no additional jail time — only after Leahy declined to pursue the case further in court. She also said Leahy was also granted an order of protection against Johnson that remains in effect.
Yet on Sept. 18, 2023, Johnson returned to St. Barnabas and allegedly kicked Leahy in the head while she and a male co-worker tried to inject a needle in his arm, authorities said. Leahy also claimed he assaulted another female nurse at the hospital hours earlier.
5 St. Barnabas Hospital is the location of at least two of Johnson’s alleged attacks. Robert Kalfus
No arrest was made, but Leahy filed a police report two days later documenting her attack, which she said left her with headaches, according to NYPD sources.
“It’s infuriating that he keeps doing this to healthcare workers — especially women — and then is let go,” Leahy said. “They had him in custody multiple times, so why is he being let go to attack other people, other healthcare workers?”