'Thud' onto the tracks from the platform as the train arrives... Another crime occurs in the New York subway

Victim Taken to Hospital with Skull and Rib Fractures

A man in his 20s pushed a person onto the tracks at a New York City subway platform just as a train was arriving, then fled but was later caught by the police.

A man pushing a passenger waiting for the train onto the tracks in the New York subway. Screenshot from X (formerly Twitter)

On the 2nd (local time), AP News and others reported that around 1:30 p.m. on the 31st of last month, at the Manhattan 18th Street subway station platform, a man suddenly pushed Joseph Linsky (45), who was waiting for the train, onto the tracks and then ran away. The train was entering the station at that time.

A man pushing a passenger waiting for the train onto the tracks in the New York City subway. Screenshot from X (formerly Twitter)

The New York Police Department arrested the suspect, Kamel Hawkins (23), on the day of the incident. He was previously known to have been arrested on charges including possession of a weapon and assaulting police officers. Hawkins was charged with second-degree attempted murder and assault.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams stated on social media the day after the incident, "Any kind of violence can never be tolerated in our subway system," and added, "Such random acts of violence make New Yorkers feel unsafe."

Security camera footage from the time of the incident shows Linsky looking at his cellphone while waiting at the front of the platform. Meanwhile, the suspect, wearing a black hoodie turned inside out, was lurking behind Linsky and just before the train arrived at the station, forcefully pushed him onto the tracks below. The suspect fled the scene immediately after the attack. The train stopped operation after the accident, and firefighters who responded to the report entered between the stopped trains to rescue Linsky. He sustained injuries including skull and rib fractures and organ damage and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital.

Recently, horrific crimes have been occurring frequently in the New York subway. On the 22nd of last month, Sebastian Zapeta (33), originally from Guatemala, was arrested on suspicion of setting fire to a sleeping woman’s clothes and blanket on a train, causing her death. In March, two men in their 30s got into a physical fight after an argument, during which one fired a handgun. In February, teenagers shot during a dispute, resulting in six passengers being killed or injured. In January 2022, a man in his 60s pushed an Asian woman onto the tracks near the Times Square subway station, causing her death.