The unhinged homeless mugger accused of shoving a New Jersey nurse in Times Square now faces murder charges — after the victim was
taken off life support.
Police said charges were upgraded Sunday against Jermaine Foster, 26, in the death of Maria Ambrocio, who was pronounced dead Saturday due to a head injury she suffered when Foster slammed into her a day earlier.
Foster also faces robbery and burglary charges at his arraignment later Sunday.
According to his family, Foster does not have a history of violence but was on medication for a mental illness.
“He was on his medication and he drove here to New Jersey,” his mother told The Post. “He was here and he didn’t want his shot to run out so he went back to New York … He’s not a violent person.”
Foster’s mom, who asked not to be identified, said her son had been living with his father in Brooklyn but was left alone when his dad died from COVID.
“He’s not a thief,” his mother said. “If someone said he was begging you for something, then yes. He would be begging.”
She said she did not know what her son’s diagnosis was or what medication he was prescribed for the disorder.
“He’s been in and out of the hospital for mental issues,” his stepdad said. “He’s been in the system almost a year. He has a social worker. The city gave him a social worker. When he don’t take his medication he might get a little angry.”
On Saturday, Foster was allegedly in the midst of a crazed crime spree when cops said he barreled into Ambrocio in the Crossroads of the World about 1:30 p.m.
Earlier in the day, police said he barged into a woman’s apartment at Sixth Avenue and 38th Street, bizarrely sat on her couch and ran off with about $15 before cops showed up.
He also allegedly snatched a cell phone from a 29-year-old woman at West 41st Street and Broadway before knocking down Ambrocio, a 58-year-old cancer nurse at Bayonne Medical Center.
Ambrocio was walking in Times Square after accompanying a friend to the Philippines Consulate in Midtown and grabbing lunch with friends, her family said.
She never regained consciousness and was declared brain dead, according to the family.
Foster has one prior arrest in the Big Apple, according to police — he was charged with forcible touching on Sept. 12 for allegedly groping a 30-year-old woman at Broadway and 36th Street.
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