The woman who was threatened by a homeless would-be mugger considers subway vigilante John Rote a “hero” — but wishes he tried to help without firing a gun in the station.
Speaking to The Post over the phone Friday, the 40-year-old woman, who did not want to be identified, recalled the “pure terror” she felt during Tuesday’s ordeal in the city’s subway system she believes has become increasingly unsafe for riders.
One reason for sketchy conditions underground, she said, is the lack of serious punishments for repeat offenders such as the man who tried to rob her.
The nightmarish scenario unfolded when while trying to head back to her Queens home, the woman encountered Matthew Roesch, a homeless 49-year-old, who was allegedly harassing her for money after he held the emergency gate open for her at the 49th Street station near Times Square, she recalled.
When she tried to walk through, he blocked her way and demanded money, according to court documents.
“I said, ‘I’m not going to give him any money’ and kept walking. He followed me. He kept demanding money and he said, ‘if you don’t give me money, I’m going to take your bag.’ I was trying to walk away from him, but he was following me and getting very close,” the woman said.
Roesch — who is known to police for frequently pulling the scheme — allegedly made moves to snatch her bag when John Rote, 43, whipped out the firearm and allegedly fired several rounds across the subway while warning the would-be mugger to leave the woman alone.
“Of course, I am happy that that man tried to help me and that nobody was injured during this incident, but it’s scary to think that people are carrying guns around the city. I understand why people do it, they see it as their only means of protection,” the woman said.
Rote was seen in surveillance footage casually pulling the handgun from his bag and aiming it at the scuffle before shouting: “Get the f–k away from her!”
“It all happened within seconds. It didn’t faze the homeless man, he continued to say, ‘give me money, give me money,'” the woman said.
That’s when Rote allegedly shot the second time and continued yelling at Roesch to back away from his victim.
Roesch finally stalled, giving the woman the chance to run away.
As about 40 others in the station scattered, she found safety inside an MTA maintenance room after a worker opened the door to check out the chaos.
He pushed a large metal cabinet against the door, preventing the gunman or the would-be mugger from following them inside.
“I was terrified, I was feeling fear, panic. I was ready for anything, to fight for my life in any way. The gun was pointed in my direction, and that’s all I saw. It was a feeling of pure terror that I don’t wish on anyone.”
Roesch was arrested after police arrived within minutes and was charged with attempted robbery, but Rote was able to flee before he could be cuffed.
Rote — who has no prior arrests — was arrested at his Manhattan job the following day after an anonymous tipster recognized him from the police-leaked footage.
He allegedly admitted to the shooting and told cops he ditched the gun in the East River.
He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm, reckless endangerment and menacing, the NYPD said.
Law enforcement sources said they don’t think Rote was aiming at the vagrant, and was just trying to scare him off.
Although the woman said she would like to thank Rote for intervening, she said she wishes he left the weapon out of it.
“In this case the man risked a lot to protect me, his safety, and the safety of other people on the platform. Yes, I do think he is a hero, but I don’t know, I would likely think him a bigger hero if he tried to help me without the gun. In my eyes, the gun is a little extreme. It was a very dangerous situation, anything could have happened.”
The woman also slammed the MTA and NYPD, accusing them of doing little to prevent such chaos inside the subways.
She said the incident was the second of two unsettling encounters with homeless people at the 49th Street platform in just one day — her morning started with another man openly masturbating on a bench without shame: “That set the tone for the day.”
“The MTA and the NYPD aren’t doing much to protect the public. But it’s very dangerous. There are many incidents where weapons were involved and it ended badly. Honestly, I am against people carrying weapons with them around the city,” she said.
“The MTA increased fares, but nothing changed. Two incidents in one day. They let these people do whatever they want. This incident is entirely the fault of the MTA and the NYPD. They need to increase rider safety.”
The woman added that there should be stronger punishments for repeat offenders, such as Roesch, who has repeatedly been arrested for hand-collecting and selling MetroCards on subways.
“The homeless people are allowed to do what they want without punishment. They let that guy go. That sends a message that they can do what they want and get away with it,” she said.
“He’s going to continue to do this again and again. I rarely ever see patrols on the subway. They only start patrolling after something happens somewhere. They should be there every day, making sure riders are safe.”