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Death of great-grandmother brutally killed on train triggers federal action
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reaffirmed the Trump administration’s commitment to holding Atlanta’s Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) «accountable» following the horrific stabbing death of a great-grandmother, announcing Friday that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is actively scrutinizing the transit system’s safety and security plans.
In an X post Friday, Duffy said the FTA has launched a comprehensive review of MARTA’s security spending and safety protocols, along with risks to riders and workers.
He noted that while MARTA met the government’s initial deadline for a response and assured the administration they are taking action, the FTA «won’t stop there.»
John Elijah Matthews faces a federal charge of committing an act of violence causing death on a mass transportation system, after he allegedly stabbed 66-year-old Margaret Swan aboard a Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) train. (@SecDuffy/X)
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«We are examining every aspect of their plan to verify if substantive improvements are being made,» Duffy wrote in the post. «This includes pouring over hundreds of pages of documents and conducting on-site visits to see the situation on the ground. We will continue to work to secure Atlanta’s system for passengers and transit workers alike.»
The intense federal review into MARTA was launched after the unprovoked killing of 66-year-old Margaret Swan.
Swan was riding a northbound MARTA train near the Oakland City Station on May 30 when John Elijah Matthews, 25, allegedly approached her, reached into his pocket and opened a folding knife.
John Elijah Matthews allegedly began the attack by cutting the throat of the victim, identified as Margaret Swan, just seconds after he walked up next to where she was sitting on a train approaching the Oakland City MARTA station. (MARTA | Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)
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According to prosecutors and a Fulton County arrest warrant, Matthews sliced Swan’s throat and subsequently stabbed her approximately 18 to 20 times in the neck and chest as she screamed and attempted to defend herself.
Matthews allegedly threw Swan to the floor before exiting the train at the Oakland City Station, where MARTA police arrested him holding a bloody knife.
Despite emergency medical aid from first responders, Swan was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police officers arrested John Elijah Matthews immediately near the train after several witnesses saw the violent act take place. Emergency medical workers attempted life-saving efforts, but the 66-year-old victim died on the scene. (WAGA-TV)
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Witnesses confirmed there was no interaction between the two prior to the attack.
Matthews is facing a local felony murder charge and has been federally charged with committing an act of violence using a dangerous weapon with intent to cause death on a mass transportation system.
If convicted, he could face life in prison or the death penalty, a determination that will be made by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
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In an X post earlier this month, Duffy said the rates of assaults, robberies and rapes on MARTA’s trains are «MORE THAN THREE TIMES the national average.»
The FTA’s audit aims to examine if MARTA has properly implemented its safety plans to protect passengers and how it has allocated federal funds intended for security improvements.
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MARTA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
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Cops drop murder probe after coroner rules man’s bloody stabbing death was freak accident
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A British man who was believed to have been murdered after he was found slumped over on a blood-soaked bench last year actually passed out drunk on a knife in his own bag, officials said this week.
Authorities initially believed Robert Brown, 57, was stabbed to death after he was found on Aug. 1, 2025, in Northampton, England, according to reports from the Northampton Chronicle and Echo.
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Robert Brown, 57, died after falling asleep and falling onto a knife in his bag while sitting on a bench, Northamptonshire Police said. (Northamptonshire Police; SWNS)
Three people were eventually arrested in connection with his death and later released. A coroner on Thursday ruled Brown’s death a «tragic accident.»
Investigators believe Brown, who authorities said had alcohol dependence issues, fell into a deep sleep and put his weight on his bag, resulting in the knife piercing his body.
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Robert Brown, 57, had alcohol dependency issues, authorities said. (Northamptonshire Police; SWNS)
The blade penetrated the bag and all three layers of Brown’s clothing, slashing his arm and leaving him to bleed out as he slept, authorities said.
Brown’s alcoholism made him vulnerable to blood loss, experts said at a court hearing.
Police on the scene behind Auctioneers Court near Northampton town center during the investigation into the death of Robert Brown, who was found fatally injured on a bench on the towpath on Aug. 1. (Northamptonshire Police; SWNS)
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Northamptonshire Police dropped the murder inquiry in February, saying Brown’s death was likely self-inflicted. Investigators noted that there was no apparent motive to murder Brown.
«We have reviewed the extensive amount of information gathered as part of the investigation, including all forensic submissions, and can confirm the evidence does not support the hypothesis that his death was a homicide,» police said at the time.
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A Democratic House hopeful vying for one of the nation’s most competitive districts is staying silent after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., voiced support for her campaign.
Ocasio-Cortez, a leftist firebrand with growing influence in the Democratic Party, congratulated former Biden administration official Cait Conley on her primary victory in a social media post Wednesday.
«I look forward to working together as a delegation as we fight for working families across New York,» Ocasio-Cortez wrote.
The post also celebrated a Democrat vying to succeed retiring Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., alongside three socialist candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
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Brad Lander, former New York City comptroller and U.S. House candidate, stands with NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at a «Get Out The Vote» rally at Kings Theater in Brooklyn on June 18, 2026. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Conley has yet to comment on Ocasio-Cortez’s support or address the trio of far-left candidates — longtime New York official Brad Lander, state Assembly member Claire Valdez, D-N.Y., and activist Darializa Avila-Chevalier — who have called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), are outspoken critics of Israel and have vowed to advance the Palestinian cause in Congress.
Conley’s general election opponent, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., insists she should have to answer for it.
«Which is it, Cait: do you reject AOC and the candidates who want to abolish ICE, defund the police, and tear down our borders, or do you embrace them?» Lawler’s campaign manager Ciro Riccardi said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
«The Hudson Valley deserves an answer, and so far all we’ve heard is your damning silence,» he continued.
Lander and Avila-Chevalier previously called for defunding the police, while the latter has continued to advocate for abolishing prisons and stopping all deportations. Avila-Chevalier also reposted a tweet denying Israel’s right to exist and helped form a pro-Palestinian group at Columbia University that called for «the total eradication of Western civilization.»
The three Mamdani-backed candidates are expected to double the ranks of the left-wing group known as the «Squad,» an informal bloc closely aligned with Ocasio-Cortez, who also supports abolishing ICE.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Conley campaign for comment.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a leader of the Democratic Party’s leftist flank, voiced support for Democratic House candidate Cait Conley after she won a contested primary Tuesday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
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The scrutiny comes after Conley avoided criticizing the socialist candidates during an interview with MS NOW on Thursday.
Asked about socialist candidates who support prison abolition and have suggested the United States deserved 9/11, Conley talked about her own background rather than directly addressing the question.
«I joined the Army and went to West Point because of 9/11 because I watched the suffering and pain that we as a nation, we as a state, we as the Hudson Valley, experienced that day,» Conley said. «And so when you talk about the American government’s responsibility to the people, it is to keep it safe.»
«While, you know, folks were elected down in New York City, in New York-17, Democratic voters chose a West Point grad and 16-year Army combat veteran to be their representative in this fight this fall,» Conley added, referring to herself.
Aber Kawas, a socialist and pro-Palestinian activist who won a Democratic primary for a New York State Senate seat Tuesday, appeared to justify 9/11 in a resurfaced 2017 video.
Conley has previously faced scrutiny over her role on former President Joe Biden’s national security team. Lawler has argued that she downplayed her alleged involvement in the former president’s botched 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, which coincided with her time on the National Security Council.
The battleground race is expected to be one of the most hotly-contested races in the country, with national Republicans expected to aggressively defend Lawler’s bid for a third House term.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., leaves the U.S. Capitol after the last vote of the week on Jan. 9, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
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The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the contest as a «toss-up» after shifting the race in favor of Democrats earlier this year.
In 2024, former Vice President Kamala Harris narrowly won the purple district, where Democrats hold a sizable voter registration advantage.
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