Brooklyn man with 16 prior arrests arraigned for unprovoked attack on pregnant woman on J train

The habitual criminal from Brooklyn who was busted on Friday, March 7, for slugging a pregnant woman in the face while she rode a J train in Jamaica last month was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Saturday.

Christopher Benitez, 33, of Throop Avenue in Williamsburg, was criminally charged with assault and harassment for the unprovoked attack of a 37-year-old woman.

At 5:50 p.m. on Feb. 25, the victim was on the J train at the Jamaica Center Parsons/Archer station when Benitez allegedly approached her and punched her in the face. Benitez then allegedly fled the train on foot to parts unknown.

The victim, who was seven months pregnant, suffered a laceration, bruises and pain to the right eye as a result of the assault but was not hospitalized.

Benitez, a recidivist with 16 prior arrests for assault, criminal mischief, and public intoxication, was taken into custody at a relative’s home in Brooklyn on Friday morning, brought back to Queens and booked at the Transit District 20 headquarters at the Briarwood subway station that afternoon.

A detective from the Queens Transit Squad who obtained and reviewed surveillance video from the station where the attack occurred created still images and showed the images to Benitez, who admitted that it was him, according to the criminal complaint.

“I hit the lady,” Benitez told the detective. “She sat right in front of me and gave me a f**king attitude, bro.”

Benitez was arraigned on Saturday afternoon and the judge set bail at $15,000.