EMT Julia Taylor Fatum left Mount Sinai West hospital in Midtown 鈥� the same hospital she was attacked outside of 鈥� after having undergone multiple surgeries. Read more.
By Ellen Moynihan, Leonard Greene
New York Daily News
NEW YORK 鈥� An emergency medical technician who was stabbed in her ambulance by a patient she was helping in Manhattan is done with New York City and all its random violence, her mother said Tuesday.
Days after the first responder was EMT Julia Taylor Fatum, 25, is ready to throw in the towel on treating New Yorkers.
鈥淣ow she wants out of the city, obviously,鈥� Cara Fatum, 43, the EMT鈥檚 worried mom, told the Daily News. 鈥淭his just came out of left field.鈥�
Julia Taylor Fatum, originally from upstate Boiceville in the Catskills, has been an EMT since 2019 and was working throughout the coronavirus pandemic that gripped the city.
鈥淗er best friend called me in the middle of the night when she was still in surgery,鈥� her mom said Tuesday. 鈥淲e quickly got everything together and rushed down there. It was terrifying.鈥�
According to prosecutors, Fatum was rendering aid to shortly after 8 p.m. on July 19 as the ambulance was pulling into the hospital bay.
Before the vehicle stopped, Garcia threw a gum wrapper at Fatum, who asked him to stop, according to court records.
Garcia, 48, responded, 鈥淔鈥攌 you,鈥� pulled out a kitchen knife and slashed the EMT with it, prosecutors said.
The attack left Fatum with puncture wounds to her left arm, the left side of her chest and her left leg. Doctors said she sustained significant blood loss, and she required stitches to her chest wound and emergency surgery for her left leg wounds
She also suffered nerve damage in her left arm, officials said.
鈥淪he鈥檚 had surgeries on her leg, her diaphragm and her arm,鈥� said the EMT鈥檚 mom.
Garcia was suffering a medical episode when he was picked up and brought to the hospital, but he wasn鈥檛 suffering from any apparent emotional or mental distress, a police source said.
He was taken into custody after the attack and brought to for observation.
Cops later charged him with attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon and obstructing government administration.
The wounded EMT works for an ambulance company linked to Mount Sinai and is not a member of FDNY EMS, city officials said.
Her ambulance does respond to calls put out to the 911 system.
Fatum鈥檚 mother said her daughter became an EMT, after graduating from Pace University, to get experience with the city and with medical procedures to achieve her ultimate goal of becoming a nurse practitioner.
She said the family was grateful for the emotional support Fatum has received, and for financial contributions that were made to a GoFundMe page.
鈥淲e really appreciate the people who have reached out,鈥� her mom said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such a huge relief because she鈥檚 got a lot of debt from school at Pace. That鈥檚 why she鈥檚 worked so hard. She works doubles.鈥�
Her nursing goals require more classroom time. She is waiting to see what schools accept her, then it鈥檚 bye-bye, Big Apple.
鈥淪he鈥檚 applied all over the country,鈥� said her mother.
Fatum hopes her ordeal can bring about some change, the mother said.
鈥淲e really hope what happened to Julia can make some kind of change to protect EMTs,鈥� she said. 鈥淪he hasn鈥檛 said much. Her main goal, I know, is to make sure that there鈥檚 some safety changes.鈥�
Assaults against city EMT鈥檚 between 2018 and 2021, , the president of Local 2507.
In 2017, EMT after a man allegedly high on PCP jumped on Arroyo鈥檚 rear bumper in the Bronx. Cops said that when she stepped out of the ambulance to investigate, Jose Gonzalez slid behind the wheel and took off.
He ran her over twice and dragged her into the intersection of White Plains Road and Watson Ave. while her partner desperately tried to stop him, prosecutors said.
Arroyo, 44, a mother of five and a 14-year FDNY veteran, died at the scene.
漏2023 New York Daily News.
Visit .
Distributed by
PREVIOUSLY: Video 鈥� NYC EMT stabbed multiple times by agitated patient