By Mardiyyah Abubakar
A New York court has sentenced 44-year-old Felix Rojas to five years in prison for sexually abusing the body of a deceased man aboard a Manhattan subway train.
Rojas received the sentence on Wednesday after pleading guilty to the offence involving 37-year-old Jorge Gonzalez, who died after losing consciousness on an R train in April 2025.
Prosecutors said surveillance footage showed Rojas approaching Gonzalez after noticing he was unresponsive. Investigators also said Rojas searched the victim’s pockets during the incident.
Authorities identified Rojas through surveillance images released to the public during the investigation.
The Brooklyn resident later surrendered to police about three weeks after the incident but reportedly denied the allegations during questioning.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered Rojas to serve 15 years of supervised release after completing his jail term.
Immigration authorities said Rojas is a Mexican national who had previously attempted to enter the United States unlawfully on multiple occasions.
Family members described Gonzalez as a devoted father and hardworking man who spent nearly two decades in the United States working construction, restaurant and service jobs to support relatives in Mexico.
The case attracted widespread attention across the United States because of the disturbing nature of the crime and concerns about safety and monitoring within New York City’s transit system.
