'Delusional' NYC politicians called out by Guardian Angels founder over subway violence: 'Slap in the face'
New York politicians are being called out for their soft-on-crime approach as subway crime incidents continue to rattle the Big Apple.
"Guardian Angels" founder Curtis Sliwa slammed New York politicians for their double standard on violence during "Fox & Friends," calling their handling of the crime surge a "slap in the face" to residents across the Empire State.
"Give everybody who goes into the subway a bulletproof vest and give them an individual police officer like Eric Adams," Sliwa told Brian Kilmeade on Monday. "The mayor has 12 with him, armed cops. Like Kathy Hochul has 12 state superintendents. These politicians are delusional. They'll tell you, 'It's your perception of crime. Perception!' What a slap in the face to everybody who's got to take the subway and pay their taxes."
Gov. Kathy Hochul has come under fire for claiming she has bolstered security on the subway following high-profile crime incidents. Despite installing security cameras and deploying 1,000 National Guard members to patrol the subway cars, critics claim she hasn't done enough to protect New Yorkers.
Murders on the subway are up by 60%, according to the New York Post. The outlet reported in September that eight people had been killed on subway trains in New York City, up from five during the same period in 2023.
"It's never been worse,," Sliwa said of the uptick in crime. "We have a combination where when you descend into the subway, it's a combination of 'Dante's Inferno,' ‘Clockwork Orange’ and Jack Nicholson in ‘The Shining’ and 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.' This guy you are talking about, 87 priors. Not hard to find. He lives on two lines. He is a creature of habit. Rides the two and the five train with a knife in his hand."
SUSPECT ACCUSED OF BURNING WOMAN TO DEATH ON NYC SUBWAY IS PREVIOUSLY DEPORTED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT
"The cops lock him up. D.A. Bragg, you know his name, cuts him loose time and time again," he continued. "He's a threat to everybody in that subway system. Then they put out an all-points bulletin. This man is extremely dangerous."
Sliwa's criticism comes after one man was arrested over the weekend for allegedly carrying out two stabbings. The suspect, who is facing assault and weapons charges, was reportedly arrested 87 times before the incidents.
The arrest came on the heels of a brutal subway murder last month when an illegal immigrant allegedly burned New Jersey native 57-year-old Debrina Kawam to death.
Surveillance video of the attack showed the suspect approaching the woman, who was sitting motionless and may have been sleeping, while aboard a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station and then setting her on fire.
Sebastian Zapeta, 33, a previously deported immigrant from Guatemala, was arrested hours after the horrific incident. He was indicted on one count of murder in the first degree, three counts of murder in the second degree and one count of arson in relation to the horrific case.
Sliwa, who founded the "Guardian Angels" decades ago to bolster public safety, deployed volunteers back to the subway following Kawam's brutal killing.
He argued no one is safe on the transit system, and politicians haven't done anything to mitigate the threat.
"Everyone is in danger on the subway," Sliwa said. "Look at that woman who has turned into a human torch. Debrina Kawam, cheerleader, all-American girl, the Jersey girl. When I'm dealing with the homeless and emotionally disturbed, which is what we ‘Guardian Angels’ do, because they're the forgotten people, they're Americans and migrants they put up in hotels."
"Americans, they allow to sit in their squalor and ride around and around. We don't help them, and when we talk to them, we find out they're people just like you and me who just had a hard time, and now they're forced to live on the subway," he continued.
"And our officials, your governor and our mayor, do nothing."
Fox News' Peter Pinedo and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.