The New York Times - Wednesday, December 6, 1995
Joe Sexton

The homeless man charged with stabbing a child with a hypodermic needle on a subway train last weekend had already escaped twice from the Rochester Psychiatric Center before he walked away from that state mental hospital for a third and final time in 1993.

Despite the earlier escapes and a criminal record, the man, Angel Coro, had enjoyed the right to leave the hospital grounds and move with a degree of freedom on them, before his 1993 escape, officials said.

According to law enforcement officials in Rochester, as well as an official with the State Office of Mental Health, Mr. Coro disappeared from the Rochester hospital in July 1991 and again a month later. Each time, he was found by the police, the second time in Buffalo.

In 1993, Mr. Coro, who has spent many of the last 25 years in half a dozen state mental hospitals, including a forensic facility for patients with criminal records, walked away from the Rochester Psychiatric Center and never returned. Three weeks later, the mental health office listed him as discharged.

The child attacked in the subway, 6-year-old Colete Lopez, underwent a series of tests at Bellevue Hospital Center yesterday aimed at determining whether she received any infection from the needle plunged into her leg aboard an F train last Saturday. It may not be known for months whether the girl was infected with the virus that causes AIDS, Bellevue officials said.

Prosecutors in Manhattan said the needle was to be examined at the New York City Police Department's crime lab. But it was not clear how conclusive such tests would be. Officials with the Manhattan district attorney's office said the two additional needles recovered from Mr. Coro had been found to be empty.

Dr. William Brokowsky of Bellevue's pediatric infectious disease department said the chances of the girl's being infected with H.I.V., even if the needle was contaminated, were 1 in 250 to 1 in 1,000.

"While it is anxiety-producing for the parents, the chances that she will be infected with any agents is small," Dr. Brokowsky said.

Mr. Coro, 51, has had dealings with the state mental health system since 1970, according to an official. His admission to Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center began a series of stays that included stops at two New York City hospitals, two upstate facilities and the Mid-Hudson Psychiatric Institute in New Hampton, N.Y. Mid-Hudson treats court-committed patients who have been found mentally unfit to stand trial on criminal charges. Mr. Coro's criminal record is also long. Law enforcement officials in New York City said he had been arrested on several charges, including assault and disorderly conduct, since the 1960's.

Robert Riley, a spokesman for the Rochester Psychiatric Center, declined to comment when asked if the hospital had made a mistake in not taking greater precautions to prevent Mr. Coro's escapes. At his final escape, Mr. Coro was not free to go because he was judged a possible threat to himself and others.

Roger Klingman, a spokesman for the State Office of Mental Health, said, "Clinicians have to make decisions on privileges given a patient based on a number of factors, including history and current behavior." Mr. Klingman said Mr. Coro's case would be investigated.

Yesterday afternoon, Colete Lopez returned to her Queens apartment with her family, exhausted from the day's events. Edward D. Fagan, a lawyer retained by the family, said the family would hold a news conference later in the week.

"If someone is responsible," Mr. Fagan said of the attack on the girl, "they will pay."

Richard Siracusa, the lawyer appointed to represent Mr. Coro, described his client as incoherent and mentally incapacitated. He said prosecutors had so far made no request to test Mr. Coro for AIDS. By law, Mr. Coro can refuse to be tested.

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