NYC hotel doorman helps foil attacker who allegedly punched 9-year-old girl: 'I'm not a hero''
Neil Johnson details attack on 'Fox & Friends First'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Neil Johnson, a doorman at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, is being hailed a hero after he detained a man who randomly attacked a 9-year-old girl.
"First of all, I’m not a hero," Johnson said on "Fox & Friends First" Wednesday. "There was a situation, and I showed up."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Johnson told host Carley Shimkus that he heard a man screaming, which wasn’t initially a cause for concern. He then heard a woman screaming.
Neil Johnson, a doorman at NYC's Plaza Hotel, helped foil a random attack on a woman and her 9-year-old daughter. (Fox News)
He ran to the woman and found her with a child and a baby carriage being followed quickly by a man who was gaining ground on them. She told Johnson the man had assaulted her daughter.
Raheem Ramsarran, the 27-year-old suspect, allegedly punched the young girl unprovoked. Johnson said it was clear Ramsarran was mentally ill.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during the New York State Democratic Convention in New York, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. Adams on Tuesday, March 22, said that he will make masks optional for those in daycare and prekindergarten starting April 4 if case rates and the risk of the virus spreading remain low. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
"I turned toward the guy and started yelling at him not to move," Johnson said.
Johnson and another man stayed with Ramsarran until police arrived and took him into custody.
He said Ramsarran remained calm when approached by police, which kept the situation from escalating further.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Johnson’s run-in with the attacker came as New York City’s crime rate in February 2022 jumped 58% overall compared to February 2021.
The New York Police Department reported that every major index crime category saw an increase.
NYC POLICE SEE 29 WEEKEND SHOOTING VICTIMS, UP 383% FROM 2021 WHILE WEEKLY NUMBER NEARLY DOUBLES
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"New Yorkers deserve better," NYPD commissioner Keechant Sewell said.
Despite Mayor Eric Adams’ deployment of additional police officers, New York subway crime reportedly skyrocketed by more than 200% in the week following the new crackdown efforts.
Fortunately, Johnson said, Ramsarran did not have a weapon. Johnson, however, said he never feared for his own safety.
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"When you hear a woman screaming, and when you see the visual of a woman with a baby carriage and a little girl running away screaming from a guy, you just, you gotta help," he said.
Fox News' Stephanie Pagones contributed to this report.