3 Train leaving the Grand Army Plaza Subway Station on the NYC Subway in Brooklyn, New York

QUEENS, NY — Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Waheed Foster has been sentenced to 22 years in prison following a violent attack at the Howard Beach-JFK Airport subway station. The assault, which occurred in September 2022, resulted in severe injuries to a commuter, who tragically lost her right eye.

The incident unfolded early in the morning on September 20, 2022, when Foster followed 33-year-old Elizabeth Gomes off a train. Without provocation, he struck her from behind with a hard object as she ascended the stairs to the station’s main platform. The attack escalated rapidly, with Foster punching and kicking Gomes, even as she attempted to flee.

Surveillance footage captured the brutal assault and showed a good Samaritan trying to intervene, only to be chased away by Foster. The attack continued until Gomes was left severely injured on the station floor.

Gomes was rushed to a local hospital where she required emergency eye surgery. Despite medical efforts, she lost her right eye due to the extent of her injuries.

On June 6, Foster pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted murder. In addition to his prison sentence, he will undergo five years of post-release supervision. Judge Ira Margulis presided over the sentencing, condemning the unprovoked and vicious nature of the attack.

District Attorney Katz emphasized the tragedy of the event, noting that Gomes was merely on her way to work when attacked. She hailed the survivor’s resilience and expressed hope that the sentencing would bring some measure of justice to the victim and her family.

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