In the age of social media, one very important aspect of being an elected official is optics. Which often requires self-awareness, good timing, and being able to show definitive leadership in tough, high-pressure moments.
None of which Kathy Hochul has.
Just a couple hours after an alleged illegal alien lit a sleeping woman on fire on the subway Sunday morning, in what can only be described as an absolute horror show, Hochul - or whoever schedules her tweets for her - began tooting her own horn as to the safety of the subway system thanks to her administration’s policies.
The fire had barely been snuffed out when Hochul posted on both Instagram and X: “In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day,” claiming that thanks to her placing more law enforcement on the rails, “crime is going down, and ridership is going up,” along with a selfie of her riding the subway with smiling customers.
In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) December 22, 2024
Since deploying the @NationalGuardNY to support @NYPDnews and @MTA safety efforts and adding cameras to all subway cars, crime is going down, and ridership is going up. pic.twitter.com/T7uRxx9nIO
Related: Suspect Who Burned a Woman Alive on the NYC Subway ID'd as Migrant from Guatemala
Naturally, it didn’t land well.
Imagine someone u love is burned alive by an illegal criminal on the subway and kathy hochul is like omg calm down the subway is soooo safe lol here’s a selfie of me on one 😗✌️
— Ashley St. Clair (@stclairashley) December 22, 2024
Ma'am. pic.twitter.com/wlgoDpiLVs
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 22, 2024
Are you f-ing serious right now? pic.twitter.com/5W2CwDOSd3
— LivePDDave 🇺🇸 (@LivePDDave1) December 23, 2024
In the meantime, while Hochul was busy tweeting about how awesome she is, police arrested 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta, an illegal alien from Guatemala, after he allegedly threw a lighter on a homeless woman who was sleeping on the train, then casually stepped off the car and took a seat on a nearby bench to watch as the woman burned to death. Another person filmed the scene, which clearly showed the woman standing and even moving while completely engulfed in flames as a security guard calmly passes by. First responders eventually showed up on the scene, where the woman was pronounced dead.
The horrific incident took place at the Stillwell Avenue Subway station in Coney Island at about 7:30 a.m. Sunday, and police still had not filed charges against Zapeta as of Sunday night.