Michelle Alyssa Go

Michelle Alyssa Go (December 29, 1981 – January 15, 2022) was a 40-year-old Chinese-American woman who was pushed into the path of an oncoming New York City Subway train at the Times Square–42nd Street station, resulting in her death. The suspect, Martial Simon, was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree murder.

Biography Michelle Go was born to Justin and Marjorie Go on December 29, 1981, in Berkeley, California. Go grew up in Fremont, California, with her parents and her brother Jefferey. Circa 1994, she attended American High School in Fremont, where she was a member of the Honor Society as well as a cheerleader. She graduated in 1998. She studied economics at University of California, Los Angeles, graduating with a degree in economics in 2002. She first worked at Ferguson Plumbing Supply in Pasadena, California, as a customer service and sales representative.

In 2010, she obtained a Master of Business Administration from the New York University Stern School of Business. She worked at Barclays Capital, before joining financial firm Deloitte, where she worked in mergers and acquisitions.

Death On January 15, 2022, Go left her apartment on the Upper West Side of New York City and was waiting for an R train at Times Square–42nd Street station. According to police, at about 9:30 a.m. Go was pushed from behind onto the tracks into the path of the oncoming R train. The perpetrator was identified as 61-year-old Martial Simon. Go was pronounced dead at the scene. Simon fled the scene but later surrendered and admitted guilt.

Legal proceedings Simon, a former taxi driver originally from Haiti, had been previously convicted of attempted robbery in 1999 and 2019 and had a warrant out for violating his parole.

According to the police, Simon has a history of mental illness, having been diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2002. On April 30, 2024, Simon was deemed mentally fit to stand trial.

Reaction and concern Go's death received attention due to its unprovoked malice. Vigils, organized in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City, were attended by hundreds of mourners. The case inflamed concerns over the homelessness and mental illness crises and elevated fears of soaring rates of violent hate crime, with residents calling for better security and social policies.

Following Go's death, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced in February 2022 that it would install platform screen doors at three stations as part of a pilot program. The stations included the platform at Times Square, as well as the platform at , and . Even before Go's death, there had been calls to install platform screen doors at several stations, but the MTA had not done so. The pilot program at Times Square does not include the platform where Go was killed.