A Big Apple hospital administrator accused of viciously beating and strangling his estranged wife spent two months on the loose without bail — before a Manhattan judge finally ordered him locked up Thursday.
Yale-educated Tyler Phelan, an admitting clinician at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, allegedly smashed his wife’s head into a stovetop, grabbed her hair and slammed her head on the floor before trying to strangle her in their Manhattan apartment.
Prosecutors sought bail at Phelan’s criminal arraignment in July, but lenient Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Michelle Weber ordered supervised release — leaving the alleged victim and her friends in shock, one pal told The Post.
“She’s still dealing with the physical and emotional aftermath of the assault, and she feels unsafe in a city where he is walking free, going out to places like sports games, restaurants, and bars,” the friend, who asked not to be identified, said this week.
Phelan, 43, was later indicted on charges including attempted assault and strangulation, to which he pleaded not guilty at his Manhattan Supreme Court arraignment Thursday.
During the hearing, Justice Michele Rodney ultimately agreed to set bail at $50,000 — but the alleged sicko doc is expected to post the amount and gain his freedom once more.
Prosecutors had tried to get him locked up on $200,000 bail, highlighting the disturbing nature of the alleged July 21 assault.
“The facts of this case, your honor, can only be described as a vicious and brutal attack on his spouse,” Assistant District Attorney Ryan Murphy told the judge.
Phelan allegedly got into a dispute with his wife that turned horrifically violent, according to court documents. He allegedly slammed his wife’s head into the stovetop, knocked her to the ground and then went on to “grab her hair again and slam her head against the floor before placing his hands around her neck and applying pressure,” the criminal complaint said.
His wife eventually escaped to the bedroom — at which point Phelan allegedly went up to the apartment’s roof’s and had to be convinced to “come down” after a two-and-a-half hour negotiation with emergency services, prosecutors said.
In a bid to continue keeping Phelan out on supervised release, his attorney Nicole Guliano told the judge about his impressive resume, including earning a master’s from the Yale School of Medicine, and stints at top city hospitals Weill-Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian.
Phelan, who has worked at Columbia’s medical center since July 2023, has no prior criminal record, Guliano pointed out, saying: “There are no allegations of a crescendo of violence or of physical violence. This is an allegation of one instant of violence.”
Phelan, who was accompanied by family members in court, has enrolled in therapy since his arrest, the lawyer said.
“Stay away from that person named in the order of protection because it will only hurt you,” the judge warned him before he was taken away in handcuff for what was not expected to be a lengthy jail stay.
Meanwhile, Phelan’s wife, who is not being identified because she is an alleged victim, is now seeking a divorce and has been struggling to cope with the fallout of the attack, her friend said.
She is spending much of her time outside New York and only returning for medical appointments — alerting her friends throughout her visits so they “know she’s safe,” the pal added.
“She’s receiving ongoing medical care and intensive therapy,” the friend said. “Watching her struggle has been heartbreaking, but she’s surrounded by family and friends supporting her at her own pace.”
Phelan is due back in court November 20.
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