The Filipina nurse who sustained injuries from a violent street incident lost her battle for life in New York City.
Maria Ambrocio sustained injuries to her head after she was shoved to the ground by a homeless man who just committed a theft. She passed away after more than a day on life support.
“We grieve with the family of our kababayan Maria Ambrocio, a health frontliner, who died from her injuries after she was knocked down by a homeless man near Philippine Consulate General in New York on Friday,” Consul General Elmer Cato said in a Twitter post.
The consulate also suspects the incident as another case of hate crimes against Asians.
“The incident is the latest in the series of violent acts committed by mentally ill individuals against members of the Filipino Community in New York City since the start of the year,” it said.
“Beginning January, we have seen several of our kababayan, most of them senior citizens, violently assaulted by individuals with mental health issues,” it added.
According to a police report, a homeless man identified as Jermaine Foster first grabbed the mobile phone of a 29-year-old woman along West 41st Street and Broadway and collided with the 58-year-old Ambrocio, knocking the latter down as he fled.
Ambrocio suffered head trauma and fought for her life for a day and a half at Bellevue Hospital.
She was an oncology nurse at the Bayonne Medical Center in the state of New Jersey.
“At 1:30 p.m. on Monday, the Philippine Consulate General in New York and the Filipino Community will hold a memorial mass for Maria Ambrocio at the St. Francis of Assisi Church on West 31st Street,” Cato said.
He also urged Filipinos around the world to pray all together for the eternal repose of Ambrocio’s soul and for a safer New York.
