Welfare Check On Passenger Sleeping At Station Led To Violent Attack On MTA Cop, And Now A Felony Conviction

CROTON-ON-HUDSON, NY — A passenger sleeping on a Metro-North train station platform reacted violently to being confronted by a police officer, and is now a convicted felon as a result.

Westchester County DA Susan Cacace announced that 46-year-old John Sicotakis, of the Bronx, was convicted on Monday by a jury, of felony assault and obstructing governmental administration, for attacking an MTA Police Department officer in 2024.

The judge remanded Sicotakis to the Westchester County Jail pending a sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for Jan. 23.

While on trial, Sicotakis was rearrested as part of an unrelated domestic incident and charged with criminal mischief. He was arraigned on Friday in the Croton-on-Hudson Village Court.

"We want to thank the Westchester District Attorney and all those who secured this conviction. Each and every day, MTA police officers are patrolling the entire transit system, including the Metro-North Railroad, making sure both customers and MTA employees are safe," MTA Police Chief Thomas Taffe said. "I’m thankful the officer injured in this case is recovering; we need to make sure those who keep us all safe are protected."

On Sept. 28, 2024, around 2:30 a.m., Sicotakis was found asleep, alone on the platform of the Croton-Harmon Metro-North station by an MTA PD officer. This officer attempted to make a welfare check to make sure Sicotakis was okay, but Sicotakis became irate and threw personal items from his backpack onto the platform.

As the officer began to write Sicotakis a littering ticket, he grabbed the officer's wrist. Sicotakis was then arrested, at which point he started throwing kicks and punches at the officer, attempted to bite the officer, told the officer that the officer was dead, and said he was going to kill the officer.

Officers from the Croton-on-Hudson Police Department arrived on scene and helped with the arrest. The MTA police officer sustained tears to his right wrist and both knees, and was required to undergo surgery and long-term physical therapy.

The investigation was conducted by the MTA Police Department and the Croton-on-Hudson Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant DA Matthew Kukowski and Bureau Chief Joseph Servino, of the Felony General Crimes Bureau.

"Every day, our officers put their safety on the line to ensure the smooth functioning of the public transit system," Cacace said. "My administration will never tolerate conduct that causes harm to our law enforcement partners. I offer my thanks to the jury for seeing this case for what it was: a brazen, unprovoked assault on a public servant."