Nurse Killed in Times Square Accident

Maria Ambrocio, RN, survived the daily grind as a nurse at a hospital during the worst of the pandemic. But the 58-year-old could not survive a freak accident in New York on Friday, dying from a brain injury the next day.

Ambrocio had just finished lunch with friend Emilia Cruz at a pizzeria and was walking through Times Square at about 1:30 p.m. Friday afternoon when a burglar ran into her, knocking her down, according to reports. The man, Jermaine Foster, was allegedly fleeing police after stealing a cell phone from another woman.

Her head hit the pavement as she fell and friends say she was unresponsive. She was soon taken to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan and diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury. On Saturday, brain-dead and with family surrounding her, she was taken off life support.

“It is a horrible thing. I don’t know what to tell you. I can’t feel it now because she’s gone. She’s gone,” Cruz told CBS New York.

Ambrocio, an oncology nurse, worked for 25 years at Bayonne Medical Center in New Jersey, often treating patients with chemotherapy. She worked regular 12-plus-hour shifts during the worst of the pandemic, crying with her colleagues over suffering patients, according to reports.

“She came to work every day, and she fought it out like the rest of us did,” former colleague Dineen Olivera told the New York Times. “She was very dedicated.”

Ambrocio was active in her church and in the local Filipino community, and loved to travel, Olivera said. Ambrocio immigrated from the Philippines in the late 1980s. She is survived by four stepchildren and several grandchildren. Her memorial mass has been scheduled for Monday in New York.

Foster, 26, ran into police after knocking over Ambrocio and was arrested. He has been jailed, and charged with robbery and murder. Police do not think he was targeting Ambrocio.

New York City increasingly has been struggling with crimes rooted in mental health and homelessness. Foster reportedly was homeless, and in response, the Consulate General of the Philippines called for greater focus on mental health issues, especially among the city’s homeless population.

Reports have also surfaced regarding two other incidents involving Foster. He was arrested in September and charged with forcible touching after groping a 30-year-old woman in Times Square. Prosecutors asked for bail to be set at $3,000, but a judge released him instead.

Earlier on Friday, Foster allegedly broke into a 30-year-old woman’s Manhattan apartment, smashed furniture, and demanded money. He reportedly left when she gave him $15. He was separately charged with robbery and burglary in that incident.