Latest news with #StephanieRodas
CBS News
18-06-2025
- CBS News
Randall's Island beating victim is now breathing on her own. Here's what happened at the suspect's arraignment.
A woman who was given a 1% chance of surviving by doctors after being brutally attacked on Randall's Island last month has opened her eyes and can move her left arm. The man accused of randomly attacking her faced a judge on Wednesday. Randall's Island attack victim shows some positive signs Diana Agudelo, a 44-year-old mother of two, has been hospitalized since suffering a brutal beating last month on Randall's Island that left her with a traumatic brain injury and other injuries. "She was so full of life. She had so much to offer this world and now all she can do is just cry. She can't even talk," said Stephanie Rodas, the victim's daughter. "Just why? My mom didn't deserve this. She was just trying to get home from work." Although Agudelo is now breathing on her own, her daughter said she had another surgery Tuesday to remove fluid from her brain. "They put a tube through her spine to her brain to be able to take away that fluid, and she has been having fevers on and off. So there is an infection, but they don't know what's causing it," Rodas said. Suspect enters not guilty plea Miguel Jiraud pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to attempted murder, assault, and robbery charges. He is accused of attacking Agudelo on May 16 after she crossed the 103rd Street Bridge from Manhattan to Randall's Island. Prosecutors say the suspect's ankle monitor placed him in the vicinity of where Agudelo's body was found -- and at the shoreline at the same time they say an individual was spotted on surveillance dumping the victim's e-bike in the East River. She was found the next day in a grassy area between rocks. The prosecution is recommending 25 years to life for the attempted murder charge, and 20 years for robbery with five years probation. After Wednesday's arraignment, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called the alleged attack abhorrent. "I want to assure New Yorkers that we will ensure accountability for those who commit such acts of violence," Bragg said. While the family continues to pray for a full recovery, they are also demanding justice. The victim's daughter said she will be at every court date. Jiraud is due back on Sept. 17.
CBS News
28-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Daughter of Randall's Island attack victim says judicial system failed her mother
Daughter says mom is still fighting for her life after Randall's Island attack Daughter says mom is still fighting for her life after Randall's Island attack Daughter says mom is still fighting for her life after Randall's Island attack A Queens mother remains in the hospital, fighting for her life, nearly two weeks after she was attacked on Randall's Island. Diana Agudelo, 44, was found brutally beaten, bleeding and unconscious along a bike path on Randall's Island on May 16. Her daughter said Agudelo was riding home from the Museum of the City of New York, where she worked. "I know that she's fighting" As Agudelo clings to life in a hospital bed in Elmhurst, Queens, her daughter, Stephanie Rodas, is holding onto hope. "They did tell me that she did have a 99% mortality rate, so they're actually surprised that she's still here, but I know that she's fighting," Rodas said. "I know there's a possibility that my mom could be in a vegetative state. I know the doctors told me that, and that's really hard for me as well." She says doctors told her Agudelo's latest prognosis is promising. "I prayed to God and I told Him, I was like, 'Give me a sign, God. Give me a sign that my mom is supposed to be here with me.' And after that, I think a few hours later, the doctors came and that's when they told me they saw her better than they did last Friday," Rodas said. One day before the vicious assault, her family says Agudelo was at a Shakira concert, laughing and having fun. "I just know my mom can't speak right now, but I just want to be her voice and I don't want her to be forgotten," Rodas said. Loved ones have put up posters all around the hospital as prayers pour in from across the city. "I put all my faith in God. God is the only one that can make miracles," Rodas said. "You failed my mother" Police arrested 30-year old Miguel Jiraud last week for attempted murder. CBS News New York learned he is a convicted rapist who lived at a nearby shelter. Police sources say he was wearing an ankle monitor when he was arrested, and that data tied him to the scene. "I don't even know what to say to him, but I do say to the judicial system that you failed my mother," Rodas said. The suspect is due back in court June 18. In the meantime, a GoFundMe page the family set up to pay for medical expenses has raised over $70,000.
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Twisted man who 'beat up woman on NYC bike path' was out on PAROLE for rape
A twisted rapist, who allegedly beat a New York City mom nearly to death on her way home from work, was out on parole when he attacked her. Miguel Jiraud, 30, was charged with attempted murder at his arraignment hearing on Friday for allegedly beating Diana Aguelo, 44, of Astoria, Queens, while she was biking home on Randall's Island around 11:30pm on May 16. The vicious attack left the single mother-of-two unconscious and in a coma and in need of two emergency surgeries, including removing part of her skull. 'She almost had to resuscitate her,' her daughter, Stephanie Rodas, 21, sobbed to the New York Post. 'She's still in critical condition right now – even though she came through the second one, thank God she did.' Jiraud was on parole for a rape charge at the time of the attack and was wearing an ankle monitor, which police used to help trace him before his arrest on Friday. The rapist allegedly called police after the attack to let them know where Agudelo was six hours after he attacked her, sources told The Post. Police later found her stolen e-bike near the East River and Jiraud's ankle monitor indicated that he was traveling around 16 mph near the scene, sources told The Post. It later showed that he went back to where Aguedelo was and where he called 911. Jiraud was on parole for a rape charge at the time of the attack and was wearing an ankle monitor, which police used to help trace him before his arrest on Friday Jiraud, who was living in a homeless shelter on the island, insisted to police that he just 'found her' and that he was not the source of the crime. 'I was the one that found her and stood there for an hour and went to work late,' he later told a reporter who asked if he beat her, before showing his unmarred hands. The mother-of-two, who remains unconscious, suffered facial fractures, a cracked skull, and a broken nose after the attack. Her own daughter didn't recognize her when she saw her for the first time after the attack, she told the New York Daily News. 'She was so swollen you couldn't even recognize her,' she told the outlet. 'Her eye was black, pitch-black. When you opened her eye, it was bloodshot red. She couldn't even move. She couldn't talk. She was on life support. She was a bloody mess.' NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny called the beating 'one of the worst beatings I've ever seen.' Rodas was informed by doctors her mother could 'succumb to her injuries at any time,' she told the New York Daily News. Doctors fear the 44-year-old won't be able to use the right side of her body and could lose vision in one eye. She may also suffer from life-long seizure problems, The Post reported. 'She will have memory issues. We don't know what we she will remember. There's a possibility that she could forget about me,' the 21-year-old cried to The Daily News. Agudelo's workplace, the Museum of the City of New York, started a GoFundMe. 'Our thoughts are with Diana, her loved ones, and our colleagues during this difficult time,' it wrote in a Facebook post. 'We are devastated that Diana Agudelo, a cherished member of our staff at the Museum of the City of New York, was violently attacked while biking home through Randall's Island.' The fundraiser has garnered more than $51,000 as of Saturday morning. Jiraud was previously convicted of raping a 28-year-old woman in February 2011 when he was 16 years old. He choked the woman on a Bronx rooftop before sexually assaulting her. He was released on parole for the crime in August and it is set to expire in 2040, sources told The Post. He was convinced in 2013 with a sentence of 12 years. 'What's the point of parole if it's not protecting anyone?' Rodas questioned to The Post. 'It's more like giving them freedom for what? To do what they did to my mom. 'He went from raping someone to attempted murder, and God knows if he's going to be successful and leave me without a mom.' The young woman, a student at John Jay College, called her mother her best friend and someone who loved music and travel, she told The Post. She said her mother had the 'kindest and sweetest soul you've ever met.' 'If I could describe her, I would just say being around her was like eating a cupcake. It was so sweet, it would make you feel warm and good inside,' she told The Daily News. 'I just want to wake up from this bad nightmare, just wake up next to my mom. I just want to give my mom a big hug, but I can't even hold her, I can't even touch her,' she told The Post.
CBS News
23-05-2025
- CBS News
Person of interest taken into custody in Randall's Island bike path attack, sources say
Police are questioning a person of interest after Queens mother Diana Agudelo was attacked on Randall's Island last week, sources tell CBS News New York. The 44-year-old woman remains hospitalized after she was found bleeding and unconscious along a bike path last Friday. Her bike had been stolen. "One of the doctors told me she has a 99% mortality rate… and honestly, I think he only gave me that remaining 1% because he felt bad. Still, I'm holding on to that 1% with everything I've got. Please, if you can, keep my mother in your thoughts and prayers," Agudelo's daughter, Stephanie Rodas, said in a statement Thursday. What happened to Diana Agudelo? Her children say she left her job at the Museum of the City of New York but did not return home. A colleague from the facilities department notified them about the attack. "Someone that she worked with at work came over to our house because someone found her phone and they handed it in to where she works," Rodas said. "They knew something was wrong so they came to our house." The museum is now fundraising to help the family. "Diana is a devoted mother, and her household now faces significant challenges, including medical and living expenses," organizers said in a statement. Police had asked for public's help, because the bike path is in a remote area and lacks security cameras. Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. You can also submit a tip via their website.
CBS News
22-05-2025
- CBS News
Queens woman assaulted on Randall's Island undergoes emergency surgery as family asks for prayers
A mother beaten and left unconcious while on her way home from work A mother beaten and left unconcious while on her way home from work A mother beaten and left unconcious while on her way home from work A Queens mother assaulted on Randall's Island had emergency surgery Thursday as police search for whoever attacked her. Diana Agudelo, 44, was found along a bike path Friday and rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Her bike had been stolen. "One of the doctors told me she has a 99% mortality rate… and honestly, I think he only gave me that remaining 1% because he felt bad. Still, I'm holding on to that 1% with everything I've got. Please, if you can, keep my mother in your thoughts and prayers," Agudelo's daughter Stephanie Rodas said in a statement. All her children know about the attack is that she left her job in the facilities department of the Museum of the City of New York, and it was a colleague from that museum who helped them figure out what had happened. "Someone that she worked with at work came over to our house because someone found her phone and they handed it in to where she works," Rodas said. "They knew something was wrong so they came to our house." "This unexpected situation has placed a heavy burden on her family. Diana is a devoted mother, and her household now faces significant challenges, including medical and living expenses," a spokesperson for the museum said in a statement. Police say they need the public's help because the bike path area is remote and it appears there is no security camera footage available that might help identify suspects. The museum is helping raise funds for this cherished employee and her devastated family. Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on X, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential. Jesse Zanger Jesse Zanger is the managing editor of Jesse has previously worked for the Fox News Channel and Spectrum News NY1. He covers regional news around the Tri-State Area, with a particular focus on breaking news and extreme weather. contributed to this report.
