Man gets 5 years for sexually assaulting dead passenger on NYC subway

NEW YORK - A Mexican national has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting and robbing the corpse of a man aboard a New York City subway in one of the city's most disturbing crimes.

Felix Jeronimo-Rojas was sentenced on June 17 for the 2025 incident involving 37-year-old Jorge Gonzalez, who had lost consciousness and died while seated on a subway train.

According to prosecutors, approximately three hours after Gonzalez died, Jeronimo-Rojas boarded the subway car, realized the man was unresponsive, then sexually assaulted the victim's corpse before searching his pockets and stealing his belongings.

The case drew widespread public outrage after surveillance video of the incident was released by authorities. Jeronimo-Rojas surrendered to police about three weeks later after images from the investigation were circulated.

Following his sentencing, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that it lodged an immigration detainer requesting custody of Jeronimo-Rojas upon his release from prison. ICE said the detainer, if honored, would allow federal immigration authorities to take him into custody rather than have him released into the community.

Federal immigration officials also said Jeronimo-Rojas had previously entered the United States without authorization multiple times in 1998 and 1999, voluntarily returning to Mexico after being encountered by U.S. Border Patrol. ICE further alleges that he later reentered the country without authorization a fifth time at an unknown date and location.

The case remains one of the most shocking crimes committed on New York City's subway system in recent years because of the sexual assault and theft committed against a deceased victim.