Kathy Hochul ripped for tweet about improved subway safety after NYC straphanger lit on fire
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was ripped for a “tone-deaf” tweet bragging about her subway safety improvements mere hours after a sleeping straphanger was killed when she was set on fire aboard a Brooklyn train Sunday.
The Democratic leader was blasted from both sides of the aisle after her office put out a social media post celebrating a decrease in subway crime even in the wake of the horrific immolation and a double-stabbing on 7 train in Queens that left one rider dead.
“In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day,” Hochul wote on X Sunday afternoon alongside photos of her in the transit system with law enforcement and riders.
“Since deploying the @NationalGuardNY to support @NYPDnews and @MTA safety efforts and adding cameras to all subway cars, crime is going down, and ridership is going up.”
The tweet was quickly blasted, including by Rep. Ritchie Torres, who has been critical of his fellow Democrat in recent weeks and is eyeing a possible run for governor in 2026.
“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,” he wrote on X.
“Has there ever been a more tone-deaf Governor in the history of New York?”
Another Democrat, Councilman Robert Holden, chided Hochul’s tweet as “incredible timing.”
“Kathy Hochul’s incompetence is costing lives—she needs to leave public office immediately before more New Yorkers suffer,” he wrote on X.
Republicans also expressed outrage over the shocking social media snafu.
“Are you kidding me??? You are really posting this after a woman was set on fire & died on a Brooklyn train this morning and two people were stabbed (one killed) on a Queens train yesterday,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis posted online.
The two fatal incidents on the transit system happened just hours apart Sunday morning.
In the first, a 37-year-old man was killed and a 26-year-old man was injured during a stabbing on a southbound 7 train at the 61 Street-Woodside station around 12:30 a.m. after getting into a dispute with another rider, according to cops.
A person of interest, who also suffered slash wounds, was taken into custody, police said. No charges have been filed so far.
Then around 7:30 a.m., a Guatemalan migrant allegedly lit a sleeping subway rider on fire on an idling F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station, according to police.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene and a suspect was arrested hours later.
The governor’s office did not immediately reply to an email Sunday night seeking comment about the criticized tweet.
But she appeared to address the outrage in a pair of posts Sunday evening, insisting any transit crime is “one too many.”
“A suspect is now in custody for the horrific incident on the F train. Our brand-new security cameras helped law enforcement find the suspect and arrest him. Grateful to @NYPDnews and @mtapd for their aggressive response,” she wrote.
“Make no mistake: any crime is one too many, even with subway crime going down. We are continuing to surge personnel and resources to make our subways safer.”
