Michelle Alyssa Go (December 29, 1981 – January 15, 2022) was a 40-year-old Asian-American woman who, according to police, was pushed into the path of an oncoming New York City subway train, which caused her death. The suspect is Martial Simon, a homeless man who was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree murder. The incident occurred at the

Times Square–42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal station The Times Square–42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal station is a major New York City Subway station complex located under Times Square and the Port Authority Bus Terminal, at the intersection of 42nd Street, Seventh and Eighth Avenue ...

Biography

Go was born to Justin and Marjorie Go on December 29, 1981, in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

. She grew up in

Fremont, California Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Located in the East Bay region of the Bay Area, Fremont has a population of 230,504 as of 2020, making it the fourth most populous city in the Bay Area, behind San Jose, San Fran ...

, with her parents and her brother Jefferey. Circa 1994, she attended American High School in Fremont, where she was a member of the Honor Society as well as a cheerleader. She graduated in 1998. She studied economics at

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

, graduating with a degree in economics in 2002. She first worked at Ferguson Plumbing Supply in Pasadena, California, as a customer service and sales representative. In 2010, she obtained a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accou ...

from the

New York University Stern School of Business The New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business (commonly referred to as NYU Stern, The Stern School of Business, or simply Stern) is the business school of New York University, a private research university based in New York City. ...

. She worked at Barclays Capital, before joining financial firm

Deloitte Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of professio ...

, where she worked in mergers and acquisitions. Go was known for her volunteer work. She had worked with the New York Junior League (NYJL) for over a decade, helping many low-income New Yorkers. The NYJL released a statement after her death.

Death

On January 15, 2022, Go left her apartment on the

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...

of New York City and was waiting for an R train at Times Square-42nd Street station. According to police, Go was pushed from behind onto the tracks into the path of the oncoming R train at about 9:30am. The perpetrator was identified as a 61-year-old homeless man named Martial Simon. Go was pronounced dead at the scene. Simon fled the scene but later surrendered and admitted guilt.

Legal proceedings

Simon was convicted of attempted robbery in 1999 and 2019 and had a warrant out for violating his parole. Shortly before the incident, he had allegedly been harassing other commuters. Another woman later told investigators that she had also been approached by Simon and that she felt threatened by him, so she walked away from him. Simon turned himself in to police shortly after the incident, and has been charged with second-degree murder. According to the police, Simon has a history of mental illness. Attorney Mitchell Schuman of NYC Defenders said that, instead of understanding the complex issue of a city with "so many unhoused black people with unaddressed mental illness", it would be a shame if "Mr. Simon was sacrificed at the altar of vengeful public opinion." On April 19, 2022, Simon was deemed unfit to stand trial and indefinitely committed to a locked psychiatric facility.

Reception and concern

Go's death received attention due to its unprovoked malice. The media and investigators speculated about whether she was targeted because she was Chinese American. Vigils, organized in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City, were attended by hundreds of mourners. The case has inflamed concerns over the

homelessness and mental illness In a study in Western societies, homeless people have a higher prevalence of mental illness when compared to the general population. They also are more likely to suffer from alcoholism and drug dependency. It is estimated that 20–25% of homeles ...

crises and elevated fears of soaring rates of violent hate crime, with residents calling for better security and social policies. Following Go's death, the

Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the New York City metropolitan area of the U.S. state of New York. The MTA is the largest public transit authority in t ...

(MTA) announced in February 2022 that it would install

platform screen door Platform screen doors (PSDs), also known as platform edge doors (PEDs), are used at some train, rapid transit and people mover stations to separate the platform from train tracks, as well as on some bus rapid transit, tram and light rail syste ...

s at three stations as part of a pilot program. The stations included the platform at

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

, as well as the platform at and at . Even before Go's death, there had been calls for the MTA to install platform screen doors at several stations, but the MTA had not done so. The pilot program at Times Square does not include the platform where Go was killed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Go, Michelle 2022 controversies in the United States 2020s in Manhattan African-American–Asian-American relations Asian-American issues Asian-American-related controversies Deaths by person in New York City January 2022 crimes in the United States January 2022 events in the United States Violence in New York City Violence against women in the United States Anti-Chinese violence in the United States Crimes in Manhattan

Biography

Death

Legal proceedings

Reception and concern

See also

References