By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-22 14:43:21 | Updated at 2024-12-22 20:54:47
6 hours ago
A 72-year-old man captured the horrifying moment he was pushed onto the subway tracks in New York City with his own cell phone.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, had just participated in the MTA's annual Holiday Nostalgia Riders that allows passengers to experience subway trips on old-school train cars from the 1930s.
While standing at the 34th Street Herald Square station at around 12pm on Sunday waiting for the Northbound F train, an unidentified male then shoved him onto the tracks before fleeing.
The victim miraculously survived and could be heard on the heart-stopping video yelling 'help me, help me' as a train approached the station.
A group of Good Samaritans standing nearby heard his cries and pulled him to safety.
He suffered lacerations to the back of his head and was transported to Bellevue Hospital.
The victim told NewsNation he had let his guard down after attending the event.
'In that moment, I was a ten-year-old boy coming off the old train, so my radar was down,' the victim said from his hospital bed.
The 72-year-old victim was pushed onto the subway tracks on Sunday at the 34th Herald Square Station
The NYPD is asking the public's help in locating the suspect responsible for the heinous attack
The man explained that he had been 'blindsided' during the attack.
'I was crushed by an individual who was obviously mentally deranged,' he said.
He then grew emotional when he described how 'the Guardian Angels on the platform jumped down, got me out, and cared for me'.
The victim, who had planned to travel to Europe over the Christmas holiday with his family, will now be getting spinal surgery instead, as he needs screws placed in his back to stabilize his vertebrae.
He also shared the agony he has experienced since the attack, and his loss of mobility.
'I can't really move. I can't really walk. I sat up today for the first time,' he told the news outlet.
On Monday, less than 24 hours after the latest near-fatal attack, Mayor Adams walked through the subway system accompanied by homeless advocates.
'We want to be proactive, to take them off the streets before they carry out a random act of violence,' Adams said.
The victim fell on the roadbed when an oncoming train was approaching the platform
The New York Transit Museum offers Sunday rides during the Christmas holiday season. Straphangers are pictured on the train enjoying the nostalgic holiday ride from the 1930s
Police had released a photo of the suspect, but an NYPD spokesperson told DailyMail.com on Friday that no one had been caught at this time.
He confirmed the man pushed the victim from behind, causing him to fall onto the roadbed as a train approached.
He described it as an 'unprovoked' attack.
A scruffy bearded-suspect was caught on surveillance cameras jumping the turnstile before the heinous incident.
In the footage he was seen wearing sunglasses that resemble ski goggles, a mauve-colored pompom hat and dark puffy coat.
He was also carrying a dark backpack and light-colored blanket.
The NYPD Crime Stoppers is asking for the public's help in locating the perpetrator.
In March, an unidentified man died after he was pushed on to the tracks when a train was approaching in what police described as an unprovoked attack.
The fatal incident occurred at about 6.45pm at the 125th Street station at Lexington Avenue in East Harlem.
A 45-year-old man was taken into custody and later described as an emotionally disturbed person.
The attack happened just weeks after Governor Kathy Hochul vowed to deploy National Guard and State Police to crime-plagued network
The suspect was caught on surveillance cameras jumping the turnstile
In the footage he was seen wearing sunglasses that resemble ski goggles, a mauve-colored pompom hat and dark puffy coat
In August, two female tourists aged 27 and 28 visiting New York City from Mexico were pushed onto the tracks on the Lower Eastside, The New York Post reported.
The women were on the northbound F platform at the Delancey and Essex Street at around 2am when the unhinged suspect, later identified as Ebony Butts, 42, allegedly shoved them onto the roadbed.
Bystanders jumped into action to help both women, who were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.
In 2023, seventeen people were shoved onto subway tracks. In 2024 this number increased to 24, according to data from the NYPD.
Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visit crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or download the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app.
They can also text 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
