A woman left permanently paralyzed after she was shoved into a moving New York City subway train confronted her attacker as he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the random assault that shattered her life.
Victim's Statement
Emine Yilmaz Ozsoy, 38, told the court she has not experienced 'a single moment' of peace since Kamal Semrade violently pushed her into a departing train during her morning commute in Manhattan in 2023. 'I am in this condition because of his evil action,' Ozsoy said during the sentencing hearing on Wednesday, according to Fox 5 New York. 'I have a long life ahead of me, yet I have to live with the circumstances.'
Before the attack, Ozsoy worked as a graphic designer whose art had been featured by several news outlets. Since suffering the devastating injuries, however, she said she is 'no longer able to continue her profession' and is now 'facing serious financial difficulties,' according to CBS New York.
The Attack
Prosecutors said Semrade, 42, followed Ozsoy after the pair rode the same train from Queens before he suddenly shoved her head and neck into a departing subway car at the Lexington Avenue and 63rd Street station. Her head struck the train before she was thrown back onto the platform, fracturing her spine and neck. Ozsoy underwent emergency surgery and remains paralyzed from the shoulders down.
Witness Nancy Marrero previously described the horrifying moment to the New York Post, saying Ozsoy had simply been fixing her hair moments before the attack. 'She didn't even see it coming,' Marrero said. 'With open palms he just mushed her head, not her body, into the train. She just tumbled, just kept spinning because the train kept hitting her.' Marrero also recalled the severity of Ozsoy's injuries, saying 'you could see the white inside' after her face was cut to the bone.
Sentencing
A Manhattan judge sentenced Semrade to 20 years in state prison after he was convicted of attempted murder and first-degree assault for the attack. Judge Althea Drysdale called the assault 'profoundly disturbing' because of its randomness and said Semrade had shown no remorse for the life-altering injuries he caused, according to Fox 5.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the attack permanently altered Ozsoy's life and left her with catastrophic injuries. 'After the attack, Semrade callously fled, leaving the victim helpless on the platform,' Bragg said. 'While nothing can undo the profound harm caused, I hope this sentence brings a measure of justice.'
Victim's Struggle
'There are no words that can fully describe the pain and struggle that I have endured over the past three years,' she told the court. Ozsoy said she has undergone multiple surgeries and countless therapy sessions since the attack while also losing her independence, career and sense of safety.
In the years since the assault, Ozsoy has documented her recovery online, writing that her 'life changed in an instant' after suffering a severe spinal cord injury. 'When I woke up in the ICU after surgery, everything about my life felt uncertain,' she wrote on a fundraising page. Despite the devastating injuries, Ozsoy said years of rehabilitation have helped her regain some independence, including being able to use a computer again and return to creating art. 'Each of these steps represents many hours of therapy, patience, and hard work,' she wrote.
Background
According to prosecutors, Semrade fled the station immediately after the attack and returned to the Queens shelter where he had been staying. Investigators said he placed the clothes he wore during the assault out for laundry service before shelter employees recognized him from NYPD CrimeStoppers alerts and notified authorities. He was arrested two days later. Semrade reportedly had no prior criminal record and had been working as a delivery driver before the attack.
Friends and family previously described Ozsoy, who moved from Turkey to New York City in 2017, as 'a kind, beautiful soul' and an award-winning artist and illustrator. Her husband, Ferdi Ozsoy, said after the attack that his wife once felt safer walking through Manhattan than she did navigating the crowded streets of Istanbul. 'And all of that was taken from her,' he said at the time. Following the attack, Ferdi Ozsoy publicly urged Mayor Eric Adams to improve subway safety, saying the incident highlighted the urgent need for stronger protections across the transit system.
NYPD data showed 25 people were shoved onto subway tracks in 2022, while felony assaults in the subway system remained higher than pre-pandemic levels. The assault also happened weeks after the controversial death of Jordan Neely, the homeless subway performer who died after being placed in a chokehold by former Marine Daniel Penny aboard a Manhattan train.
