Carnegie Hero Fund board member Alex DiClaudio presented the Carnegie Medal to John Catania at a June 14 presentation held at the Balance Arts Center in New York City.
Catania received the medal in December 2024 after his Nov. 22, 2022, rescue of a woman from assault.
A 28-year-old woman was sitting on a subway car when a 6’4”, 30-year-old man walked up to her and suddenly slashed her in the face with bladed weapon described by police as a shank. John Catania, then 29, stood across from the assailant as the train made its stop. He saw the first strike and yelled at the assailant, who ignored him. The assailant struck the woman again with the weapon. At that moment, Catania rushed at the assailant and shoved him away from the woman. The woman escaped to an adjacent car as other passengers on the moving train scattered while Catania grappled with the assailant. Catania was stabbed repeatedly in the head and back as they struggled. He grabbed the assailant’s legs and took him to the ground as the train reached a stop and the assailant fled the scene. Covered in blood, Catania also exited the train where a bystander wrapped Catania’s head with a sweatshirt and escorted him to police above the platform. He suffered 11 lacerations to the head and upper back, which were stapled and sutured shut. Catania recovered. The woman suffered a cut to her cheek and her hand. She too, recovered. The assailant was arrested on attempted murder, hate crimes, and other charges. At the time of the Hero Fund’s investigation, he was awaiting trial.
Catania was joined by friends and family at the presentation as he received his medal. In an email to the Hero Fund, Catania was grateful for the presentation and the recognition for his heroic act.