Chris Lange, FISM News
One of the suspected members of a group of leotard-clad thieves that beat and robbed two young women inside a Times Square subway car turned herself in on Monday.
Mariam Issouf, 26, surrendered to police Monday afternoon, accompanied by her lawyer, the New York Post reported. She was placed under arrest and charged with robbery.
The Queens resident is alleged to have been among a group of six women dubbed the “green goblin gang” who terrorized and robbed two 19-year-old women on a subway car Oct. 2.
Viral footage of the bizarre incident showed attackers clad in matching, neon-green bodysuits, some wearing hoods and masks over their faces in an effort to conceal their identities. One of the thieves could be seen repeatedly punching the face of a victim. The teens were robbed of a cell phone, credit cards, a wallet, and a handbag during the vicious attack.
(Warning: video contains violence and offensive language.)
The Green Goblin Gang: Women In Neon Green Leotards Attack 2 NYC Subway Riders
The assailants escaped the scene with a cellphone and a handbag, police told the New York Post. pic.twitter.com/07zzz37A8a
— Ground News (@Ground_app) October 4, 2022
Issouf is one of four identified suspects living on Long Island in New York City Housing Authority’s Queensboro Houses, according to police. The warrant division is “actively seeking” Emily Soto, 34; Ciante Alston, 26; and Dariana Peguero, 26; all of whom have prior arrests, Chief of Detectives James Essig said on Friday, according to the report.
Peguero has the most extensive criminal record with nine arrests. Ashton and Soto were both arrested twice, the Daily Mail reported.
Some media outlets initially reported that the robbery occurred following a verbal altercation over an accidental “bump” said to have occurred before the women boarded the subway at 1:50 a.m. on Oct. 2. The mother of one of the victims, however, said the attack was unprovoked.
The mother, whose name has not been provided out of concern for her safety, expressed outrage, not only over the attack, but also the fact that onlookers did nothing to intervene as her daughter and friend were brutally kicked, punched, and thrown around the car.
“They video instead of calling 911. It’s so disturbing for me as a mother that this is the world we live in,” she said. “My daughter is literally getting beat while all these bystanders just stood there. Maybe police would’ve gotten there faster if someone called 911.”
The investigation continues as police search for Issouf’s alleged accomplices.