Former ESPN host Samantha Ponder called on New York City Mayor Eric Adams to take action to remove what she described as “clearly unwell and violent men” from city streets after video emerged of a fatal stabbing on a Charlotte light rail car.
Ponder posted on X that she rides the subway daily with her three children and regularly encounters people she described as unwell and violent. "I’ve taught my kids not to make eye contact, to switch train cars even when it’s not our stop & to never get on a nearly empty train," she wrote, adding that the killing of Iryna Zarutska confirmed her belief that such individuals need to be removed from public transit and the streets. She tagged Mayor Adams' account in the post.
The stabbing in Charlotte prompted calls for accountability at both the local and federal levels. Decarlos Brown Jr., who was arrested soon after the attack, has been charged in Mecklenburg County with first-degree murder in the death of Zarutska. The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday added a federal charge alleging he committed an act causing death on a mass transportation system.
Court and law-enforcement records reviewed by Fox News show Brown has a criminal history going back more than a decade. His record includes convictions for felony larceny and felony breaking and entering in 2013 and a 2015 conviction for robbery with a dangerous weapon that led to a prison term of more than six years. He was released in 2020 and remained on parole until 2021. Authorities say he also faced charges earlier this year for communicating threats and misuse of the 911 system.
Ponder’s post sought to connect the Charlotte killing to broader public-safety concerns in major cities, saying prosecutors and judges have failed to keep dangerous people off the streets. "Our DAs and judges have failed us. They show the illusion of empathy for the mentally ill… but it is neither loving nor safe to continue to let career criminals roam the streets," she wrote.
In replies to commenters, Ponder said the issue is widespread and not limited to any single city. She recounted personal childhood incidents in Arizona, including being followed to school at age 5 and an attempted abduction at a bus stop, to underline her argument that families face safety risks in public spaces.
The stabbing has also drawn attention from national political figures. Former President Donald Trump urged that Brown face the death penalty and called on cities to end cashless bail. Local and federal prosecutors have advanced charges as investigators continue to review the incident and the suspect’s past record.
Zarutska’s family issued a demand for justice after the killing, and law enforcement officials in Charlotte moved quickly to arrest and charge the suspect. The case has renewed debate about how cities should balance criminal justice reform, mental-health treatment and public safety on public transit and in urban settings.
Ponder’s post reflects a growing public conversation about safety on mass transit systems and the role of municipal officials and prosecutors in preventing violent crime. She urged municipal leadership to take concrete steps to prevent similar incidents, while officials in Charlotte and federal authorities proceed with criminal charges.
