A man who allegedly harassed and assaulted a woman in New York City this week was released Friday without bail and under supervision hours after his arrest, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
“Patrick Mateo, 47, was arrested Thursday morning at 8:10 a.m. ET in Queens after a video of him allegedly pushing a 53-year-old Asian woman on Tuesday went viral,” Fox Wilmington reported.
Reporter CeFaan Kim shared video footage Wednesday of the incident showing the suspect throwing a box at the woman.
He then moved toward her and appeared to shove her backward onto the ground:
“A 52-year-old female victim reported to police that she was waiting online at a bakery when an unidentified individual engaged her in a verbal dispute,” a spokesperson for the New York City Police Department (NYPD) told reporters.
“The individual pushed the victim and [caused] her to hit her head against an object,” the official said.
Emergency crews transported the woman to Booth Memorial Hospital where she received ten stitches for a cut on her forehead.
The suspect was released Friday at about 3:00 a.m. under his own recognizance, according to the district attorney’s office.
“He did not have to post bail because he was charged with assault in the third degree, which is a class A misdemeanor,” the Fox article read.
Mateo is scheduled to appear in court on April 21.
In a subsequent tweet on Wednesday, Kim said there was a “Lot of commentary re people standing by doing nothing. Before this video starts witness says one man tried to get between.”
“Others chased him, called 911, crowd rushed to her aide. The real ‘coward’ is the man seen here shoving the woman,” he continued.
In February 2020, residents criticized New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) saying they had their fill of the city’s rising crime rate, Breitbart News reported:
One resident begged de Blasio to work with state lawmakers to get rid of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) new bail reform law that abolishes bail for criminals like those accused of second-degree manslaughter, aggravated vehicular assault, third-degree assault, promoting an obscene sexual performance by a child, criminally negligent homicide, or aggravated vehicular homicide.
“New York City is becoming a crime city. Could you please get rid of bail reform to make our city safer?” the woman asked him.