Emine Yilmaz Ozsoy was paralyzed from the attack (photo c/o GoFundMe)
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Nearly three years after a man shoved a woman’s head into a moving subway train at the 63rd Street and Lexington Avenue station, paralyzing her from the shoulders down, a Manhattan jury has found him guilty on all counts.
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Semrade, now 42, has been convicted of one count of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree and one count of Assault in the First Degree — both class B felonies. Sentencing is scheduled for May 6, 2026.
The victim was Emine Yilmaz Ozsoy, a Turkish-born artist who had been living in New York City since 2017. On the morning of May 21, 2023, she was commuting to work when Semrade — who had boarded the same E train as her at the Roosevelt Avenue stop in Queens — followed her off at the 63rd Street and Lexington Avenue station before shoving her into a moving subway car. Her face and head struck the train; she was flung back onto the platform, fracturing her spine.
Ozsoy underwent spinal surgery and remains paralyzed from the shoulders down. Her family launched a GoFundMe campaign in the days following the attack to help cover mounting medical expenses. It has since raised over $280,000 out of a $2 million goal.
“Kamal Semrade turned a moving train into a weapon that caused devastating, life-altering injuries,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. said in a statement following the verdict. “A jury of his peers convicted him of forcefully shoving an unsuspecting commuter from behind — a subway rider’s worst nightmare.”
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Semrade was arrested two days after the attack after shelter employees in Queens recognized him from an NYPD CrimeStoppers post. He had returned to the shelter that evening and put his clothes out for laundry service. He was subsequently indicted on attempted murder and assault charges and has remained in custody since.Ozsoy herself testified at trial, recounting the attack — a moment D.A. Bragg specifically acknowledged, thanking her for “bravely recounting her story.”
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