‘He's not a monster,’ says distraught girlfriend of man accused of assaulting EMS workers
Police say they found a 32-year-old EMT with a slash on his head and a 20-year-old EMT with injuries to his face.
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Two EMS workers were assaulted, and two others were injured after police say they responded to a call of an emotionally disturbed person at 1889 Sedgwick Ave.
Police identified the person who allegedly injured the officers as 22-year-old Jose Bencosme. He has since been charged with two counts of assault.
Police say when they arrived on scene, they found a 32-year-old EMT with a slash to his head and a 20-year-old EMT with injuries to his face. Both were taken to a nearby hospital, where they are now recovering.
Bencosme's girlfriend spoke with News 12 about the incident, explaining what led up to the attack.
"He was under the influence. He had no control, no right mental state of mind. He didn't even recognize his parents," she said.
She explains Bencosme has no criminal history, had dreams of becoming a first responder and worked with disabled children in his free time. She says this has never happened before.
She says she called 911 because she was afraid he was a danger to himself. She says things quickly got out of hand once first responders arrived.
"He's not a monster. He's not a violent person. This was not out of his heart," she says.
EMT Union Leader Michael Greco says this happens far too often to first responders.
"[In] 2024, we had 470 workplace violences in the fire department as a total. EMS was 430 of them," says Greco.
He goes on to say all actions have consequences.
"The fact is, you chose to put yourself in an altered state, and then you assaulted and brought a pretty significant injury to one of my EMTs. For that, you go to jail," says Greco.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is also commenting on the incident, writing in part, "I've always said, first and foremost, deep recognition for the incredible work of EMTs across the city. And we also want to make sure that they're safe when they do this work. We'll always look at all of the policies and procedures to ensure that EMT workers don't have to worry about their safety.”
