Police have a person of interest in custody suspected of savagely beating Queens single mom Diana Agudelo as she rode her e-bike through Randalls Island, leaving her unconscious on the ground for nearly six hours before she was discovered by a passerby the next morning, the Daily News has learned.
Detectives from the 25th Precinct were questioning the man Friday morning, a police source with knowledge of the case said. Criminal charges weren’t immediately filed.
Agudelo, 44, was biking home from her job as a janitor at an East Harlem museum, taking her usual shortcut through Randalls Island to get to her Astoria apartment, when she was attacked about 11:30 p.m. Friday.
She was struck multiple times in the head and face before the attacker apparently stole her e-bike and belongings.
A police source said her e-bike was later recovered in the East River.
A passerby spotted Agudelo unconscious near the bike path at about 5:15 a.m. the next day as the sky began to lighten on the sparsely populated island, which is home to sports fields and institutions including shelters, a psychiatric hospital and an FDNY training facility.
Agudelo made it through surgery Wednesday to relieve pressure on her brain but only has a 1% chance of ultimately surviving, her heartbroken daughter told the Daily News Thursday.
“The doctor said there’s a 99% chance mortality rate with her injuries,” said Stephanie Rodas, 21. “We still have faith. I know she’s fighting and there are times where she applied pressure on my hands when I held her hands.”
Along with her e-bike being apparently stolen, Rodas said her mother’s jacket, backpack with her wallet inside and glasses were all missing after the beating. One of her black Skechers sneakers was found in a trash can near the scene, cops told the family.
