Family: Woman Still In Critical Condition After Being Knocked Down Stairs During Subway Robbery Attempt
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A woman is still fighting for her life after being knocked down the stairs during an attempted robbery at a subway station in Manhattan, her family tells CBS2.
For the family of 58-year-old Than Than Htwe, it's painful watching their loving wife and mother fight for her life in a coma in a hospital room.
It's a place they never expected her to be after moving here from Myanmar nearly three years ago for the American dream.
"She's a very good woman. She's very responsible," Myint Shein, the victim's husband, told CBS2's Cory James through a translator.
The attack happened shortly after 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Canal Street N train station.
Police said Htwe, a seamstress, was walking with her 22-year-old son, when a man tried to steal her son's bag.
During the struggle, Htwe and her only child fell down the stairs.
"At that moment, he just very frantically yelled out very loud for help," a translator explained for Htwe's son, Kyaw Zaw Hein. "There was a lot of blood."
She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Late Monday night, Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou tweeted the victim had died, but her family says she is still alive.
Tuesday, police were at the scene passing out fliers of the suspect, who was caught on camera exiting the subway track platform, wearing a bandana.
"It just broke my heart a lot, you know?" Niou said.
She was heartbroken over what happened in her district.
"I feel so terrible for what they are going through," Niou said. "My parents made so many sacrifices in order to make sure that we had opportunities, and I know that this is the same thing that they're going through as a family."
A family now clinging onto hope, praying their loved one will survive.
"Now that this happened to my mom, I know how precious, she meant the world to me," Hein said.
The victim's son, who is a college student, and husband, a sushi chef, say they fear for their own safety and hope police or politicians can do something to make it safe for everybody in New York City.
A GoFundMe has been set up to support the family.
Meanwhile, the search continues for Htwe's attacker. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
