Woman thankful for subway 'hero' who fired warning shots to save her from robbery — but she wishes gun was never used: Report

A woman told the New York Post she's thankful for the subway "hero" who fired warning shots to save her from a would-be robber — but added to the paper that she wishes a gun was never used.

Police last week arrested the alleged shooter — 43-year-old John Rote — and charged him with criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a firearm, and menacing, WABC-TV reported.

But observers fed up with crooks getting away with crime and upset when regular folks get into trouble when they step in to prevent crime are livid over Rote's arrest. He has no prior arrests.

'I do think he is a hero, but ...'

The unidentified 40-year-old woman told the Post, “Of course, I am happy that that man tried to help me and that nobody was injured during this incident, but it’s scary to think that people are carrying guns around the city. I understand why people do it, they see it as their only means of protection."

She added to the paper, “In this case the man risked a lot to protect me, his safety, and the safety of other people on the platform. Yes, I do think he is a hero, but I don’t know, I would likely think him a bigger hero if he tried to help me without the gun. In my eyes, the gun is a little extreme. It was a very dangerous situation, anything could have happened.”

What else do we know?

The woman told the Post that a man — identified as 49-year-old Matthew Roesch, who's homeless — allegedly was harassing her for money Tuesday after he held open an emergency gate at the 49th Street station near Times Square.

When she tried to walk through the gate, the man blocked her and demanded money, the paper said, citing court documents. But the woman kept walking.

“He followed me. He kept demanding money, and he said, ‘If you don’t give me money, I’m going to take your bag.’ I was trying to walk away from him, but he was following me and getting very close,” the woman recalled to the Post, which added that police know of Roesch's M.O.

The paper said when Roesch allegedly moved to snatch the woman's bag, Rote pulled a gun and allegedly fired several rounds across the subway while warning Roesch to leave her alone.

The Post said Rote was seen in surveillance video pulling a gun from his bag and shouting, “Get the f*** away from her!”

Roesch soon paused, the paper said, and the woman was able to run away.

“I was terrified," the woman recalled to the Post. "I was feeling fear, panic. I was ready for anything, to fight for my life in any way. The gun was pointed in my direction, and that’s all I saw. It was a feeling of pure terror that I don’t wish on anyone.”

What happened next?

Police arrived within minutes and arrested Roesch, who was charged with attempted robbery, the paper said. While Rote fled the scene, the Post said he was arrested Wednesday at his Manhattan job after an anonymous tipster recognized him.

The Post said Rote allegedly admitted to the shooting and told cops he tossed the gun in the East River. Law enforcement sources added to the paper that they don’t believe Rote was aiming at the homeless man but rather was trying to scare him off.

Fox News said Rote posted $10,000 bail and returned to his home in Astoria, Queens, on Friday. He's due back in court Nov. 14, the cable news network added.

Woman slams authorities

The woman told the Post that authorities aren't doing enough to deter subway crime, noting that earlier that same day last week on the 49th Street platform she saw another man openly masturbating on a bench: “That set the tone for the day.”

“The [Metropolitan Transportation Authority] and the NYPD aren’t doing much to protect the public. But it’s very dangerous. There are many incidents where weapons were involved and it ended badly. Honestly, I am against people carrying weapons with them around the city,” she added to the paper.

“The MTA increased fares, but nothing changed. Two incidents in one day. They let these people do whatever they want," she also told the Post. "This incident is entirely the fault of the MTA and the NYPD. They need to increase rider safety.”

The woman also told the paper stronger punishments are needed for repeat offenders, noting that the homeless man who accosted her was let go, which "sends a message that they can do what they want and get away with it."

“He’s going to continue to do this again and again," she added to the Post. "I rarely ever see patrols on the subway. They only start patrolling after something happens somewhere. They should be there every day, making sure riders are safe.”

In related news:

NYC subway rider randomly stabbed in head, face with screwdriveryoutu.be

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!