New York Governor Blasted For Tone-Deaf Tweet Praising Safety Of NYC Subway Just Hours After A Woman Was Set On Fire & Killed

Aaron Ryan·
CULTURE
·
Kathy Hochul
@GovKathyHochul

Read the room, lady.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is facing criticism from both sides of the political aisle for one of the most tone-deaf tweets you’ll ever see from a politician – and that’s saying a lot.

Yesterday, the governor took to social media to boast about her “achievements” in making the subways in New York City safer, posting some staged photos showing her snapping a selfie with some subway riders and shaking hands with the National Guard, which was deployed to help with security after a series high-profile crimes on the mass transit system.

According to Hochul:

“In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day.

Since deploying the New York National Guard to support NYPD and MTA safety efforts and adding cameras to all subway cars, crime is going down, and ridership is going up.”

Sounds like your typical tweet from a politician, right? Brag about your accomplishments, post a few staged photos, and sign off for the holidays.

The problem, though, is that Hochul’s tweet came mere hours after a woman sleeping on the subway was set on fire and killed.

The horrific incident happened when the victim was sleeping on a stationary subway car at the Coney Island subway station in Brooklyn. According to police, a man calmly approached the sleeping woman and set her clothes on fire before exiting the subway and taking a seat on a bench on the platform to watch as officers rushed to extinguish the fire.

The unidentified woman was declared dead at the scene, and a suspect has been identified as 33-year old Sebastian Zapeta, an immigrant from Guatemala who entered the country illegally in 2018.

Absolutely horrific.

Well after Hochul took to social media to praise the safety of the subway, politicians from both sides of the aisle criticized the governor for her tone-deaf tweet in the wake of the attack.

Congressman Ritchie Torres, one of Hochul’s fellow Democrats who has considered a run for governor against the incumbent, called out Hochul for taking a “victory lap” in the wake of the horrific murder.

“Two hours ago, Kathy Hochul took a victory lap for making subways “safer.” She congratulates herself on the same day two subway riders were stabbed in Queens (one in the face and one in the chest) and another was barbarically burned alive. Has there ever been a more tone-deaf Governor in the history of New York?”

And Robert Holden, a Democrat member of the NYC City Council, had similarly harsh criticism for the governor:

“Unbelievable timing: just hours after a woman was senselessly burned alive, and two people were stabbed, one fatally. Kathy Hochul’s incompetence is costing lives—she needs to leave public office immediately before more New Yorkers suffer.”

Other elected officials and citizens alike were similarly disgusted by Hochul’s statement:

Hours after her tone-deaf tweet, Hochul once again took to social media to announce that the suspect had been arrested and promising to continue to work to make the subways safer:

Just goes to show how out of touch our politicians are. Even after a woman is burned alive, they can’t even be bothered to cancel their scheduled tweets promoting their accomplishments.

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