Dr. Nina Rothschild, a 58-year-old scientist at the New York City Department of Health, was recently assaulted at the Queens Plaza subway stop. The incident was recorded on video and has gone viral on social media. The thief was seen throwing Rothschild down the steps and repeatedly striking her head with a hammer before stealing her handbag and fleeing the scene. The individual has yet to be recognized, and no arrests have been made. Officers eventually discovered Rothschild lying on the ground with a cracked skull and significant head injuries, according to The Daily Mail. She was sent to a nearby hospital and is now in serious condition.
Nina Rothschild: Everything You Need to Know
Nina Rothschild is the Division of Disease Control’s health and disaster preparation coordinator at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She has also participated in the COVID-19 pandemic response as part of her work. Rothschild graduated from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, according to the university’s website. She spent her junior year at Barnard College majoring in English and taking classes in Women’s Health and Health Care and Caring for the Mentally Ill: Treatment and Policy to further her interest in public health.
Following graduation, she worked at the Division of Disease Control’s Bureau of Maternal, Infant, and Reproductive Health, H.I.V. Prevention, and H.I.V. Community Planning. Rothschild also has a master’s degree in English literature from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and has taken a course at Columbia Journalism School on Reporting Ethical Issues in Science and Medicine. Nina Rothschild continued her education at Mailman, earning her M.P.H. and Dr. P.H. degrees. She is also a Mailman School Alumni Board member and has headed the Development and Governance Committees since its inception. In the past, the Department of Health employee served as president of the Public Health Association of New York City.
What happened to Nina Rothschild?
Nina Rothschild was robbed in Long Island City’s Queens Plaza subway station. CCTV footage shows that at 11.22 p.m. on February 24, a robber approached the former with a cane. The thief attempted to kick Rothschild down the steps, but she stood firm and fled the scene. Soon after, the guy pulled out a hammer and struck Rothschild about 13 times.
🚨WANTED for ROBBERY: Last night, at the Queens Plaza ‘E,M,R’ subway station in Queens, a 57-year-old female was kicked down the stairs then struck in the head several times with a hammer. The suspect then stole her purse. If you have any info, contact @NYPDTips at 800-577-TIPS. pic.twitter.com/POUAS0I2Ia
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) February 25, 2022
He snatched her pocketbook and left the scene after the incident, leaving Rothschild on the ground with a cracked skull. While chatting with ABC7, the victim’s brother, Gerson, a physicist at Columbia University, expounded on the situation. He revealed,
“She informed me on the phone that she was just going down the stairs to get into the subway on her way home from work when she was assaulted from behind.”
Gerson reportedly said that his sister requested the attacker to stop, but he continued the assault before fleeing with her bag, which included a smartphone, personal documents, and jewelry. According to the New York Post, when authorities arrived at the station, Rothschild was taken to Weill Cornell Medical Center. She was diagnosed with a broken skull and cerebral hemorrhage and is still in serious condition.
