The NYPD has charged a suspect with attempted murder in the brutal beating of a mother of two on Randall's Island -- an attack that a police chief called "one of the worst" he's ever seen -- according to the victim's family and officials.
Police identified the suspect in Diana Agudelo's beating Friday as Miguel Jiraud, 30, and say he lives in a shelter on Randall's Island. Multiple law enforcement sources say the suspect was wearing an ankle bracelet at the time of the attack. They say is on parole for a convicted 2011 rape after a 12-year prison sentence.
The ankle bracelet allows his every movement to be tracked by computer, sources say. The suspect is also believed to have called 911 to report finding the woman's body by the water, hours after the attack, according to the sources. They say he posed as a concerned good Samaritan.
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WATCH HEREInformation on a possible attorney for Jiraud wasn't immediately available. Asked about his involvement as he was led from a precinct to a waiting police vehicle Friday, Jiraud claims he found Agudelo and said "the evidence is going to speak for itself." Jiraud, who got out of jail in September 2024, told reporters he had done "nothing wrong" since he'd returned, apart from an MTA violation for turnstile hopping.
It was a week ago that Agudelo, a 44-year-old museum worker, was pulled unconscious just off the bike path on Randall's Island. She remains in critical condition. Her family has launched a GoFundMe for help. So far, it's raised more than $37,000.
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SIGN UP "Brutally attacked. Facial fractures. Orbital bone cracked. Skull fracture. The base of her skull is cracked. Her nose is broken. One of the worst beatings I’ve ever seen," said NYPD Chief Joseph Kenny.
News of the arrest came after the NYPD increased the reward for information in the case.
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It also came as the family continues to pray for a miracle. Agudelo's sister told Telemundo 47 their mother suffered a heart attack after hearing of her daughter's condition and has been hospitalized.
Agudelo has been unable to speak or move as she remains on life support. The family said their mother's surgeon has given her a 99% mortality rate. The prognosis is not good, but Rodas refuses to give up hope.
"I see her cry. When she’s on the bed. I was crying next to her and I saw a teardrop fall from her eye," the 21-year-old daughter said. "So I know she’s there and I know she wants her story to be told. I know she wants justice."
Agudelo was biking home from work at the Museum of the City of New York a week ago, on Friday, May 16, when police say she was randomly targeted near the 103rd Street foot bridge on Randall’s Island. Her daughter said her mom took the Harlem River Pathway on the island to and from work every day.
A spokesperson for the Museum of the City of New York said in a statement she is a "beloved and devoted member of the staff" and that they were working with police to provide any possible assistance.
