Former ESPN host Samantha Ponder called for New York City Mayor Eric Adams to get ‘violent men off the streets’ following the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska.

Zarutska, 23, was allegedly stabbed by Decarlos Brown, 34, on a light rail car in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 22. He was seen in surveillance footage lunging at Zarutska from behind as she sat scrolling on her phone.

Ponder, 39, took to X, formerly Twitter, unleashing a furious tirade aimed at the mayor in the wake of Zarutska’s murder, claiming she encounters ‘several clearly unwell and violent men’ every day when she takes the subway.

‘I take the subway multiple times a day, every day, with my three kids. Every single day we encounter several clearly unwell and violent men,’ she shared online in an explosive post.

The former ESPN host then went on to says she has taught her kids what to do on the train to avoid getting into a dangerous situation.

‘I’ve taught my kids not to make eye contact, to switch train cars even when it’s not our stop and to never get on a nearly empty train,’ she declared.

‘All split second decisions as we try to gauge whether an obviously sick person is going to hurt someone or just continue screaming, knocking things over, etc,’ Ponder continued.

Ponder passionately said the video of Zarutska’s murder ‘confirmed’ her belief that Adams’ government must act to ‘get these men off the streets.’

‘Our DAs and judges have failed us,’ she continued. ‘They show the illusion of empathy for the mentally ill… but it is neither loving nor safe to continue to let career criminals roam the streets.’

Ponder’s impassioned post was shared on social media after Zarutska’s death, as President Donald Trump called for the accused murderer, Decarlos Brown, to face the death penalty.

While some online users pointed out Ponder doesn’t have to be raising her family in New York, the mom-of-three shot back claiming that violent acts happen all around the country – both on and off public transport.

‘Like Charlotte? Or how about Auburn, Alabama? Maybe Athens?’ she hit back at the X user who suggested she move. ‘This is happening all over the country. It wasn’t always like this here and it doesn’t have to be.’

Ponder also clapped back at another person told her to move to Arizona, sharing a shocking story from her childhood.

‘I was followed to school at age five by an exposed child molester in Arizona,’ she wrote.

‘Had a kidnapper try to pull me inside his van at a bus stop in Arizona. Should I go on? There’s a lot more,’ she scathingly wrote.

Ponder, who hosted the Sunday NFL Countdown, was also previously outspoken against boxer Imane Khelif – who won a women’s boxing gold medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, despite claims she is a biological male.

She was fired by ESPN just two years into her three-year, $3 million contract back in August 2024, with her dismissal attributed to cost-cutting measures at the time.

The outburst comes as the disturbing video of Zarutska’s death sparked widespread grief, anger, and questions about public safety in the Democrat-led city as the nation comes to terms with the horror.

Brown was seen in surveillance footage lunging at Zarutska while she was on her phone on a train through Charlotte on August 22.

Her family has paid tribute to her as a ‘gifted and passionate artist’ who had a ‘vibrant spirit’ and ‘a deep love for animals.’

The 23-year-old emigrated from Ukraine with her mother, sister, and brother to escape the war, and she ‘quickly embraced her new life in the United States,’ her family wrote in an obituary.

They also said she had managed to become fluent in English ‘within a very short time’, and ‘hoping for a new beginning’ when she came to Charlotte.