Brooklyn man, Roland Henegan, 35, has been sentenced to ten years in prison for attacking a man at the Jay Street-MetroTech subway Station in Downtown Brooklyn last summer, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Wednesday.
Henegan pleaded guilty of assault for the unprovoked attack last month, and his sentence also includes five years of post-release supervision.
“Violent offenders such as this defendant will face serious consequences,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “Today’s sentence holds him responsible for this frightening and random attack and ensures he will not be able to victimize others in our communities.”
According to the D.A’s office, on the evening of July 5, 2022, the victim entered the Jay Street station as he headed home from work at 6 p.m. and saw the perpetrator suddenly open an emergency door inside the station.
The victim continued walking down a staircase as Henegan started walking up toward him. Henegan, unprovoked, grabbed the victim and punched him, then stabbed him in the face and in the back. He fled the scene but was later identified and arrested. At the time of the incident, he was staying at the Kingsborough Men’s Shelter in Brooklyn.
The victim was treated for numerous injuries and needed multiple stitches to his face and back, and had his jaw wired and screwed shut for several months.
Transit crime is down compared to last year across the city, according to officials, though transit crime in the 84th Precinct — which includes the Jay Street-MetroTech station — has remained almost the same, with 34 transit crimes reported in the precinct as of Aug. 20 compared to 40 at the same time last year. The NYPD has reportedly added at least 500 cops to patrol the subway system this year to deter crime.
