A late-night argument on the platform of the East 149th Street station ended with one straphanger flung onto the tracks just minutes before an oncoming train.
A late-night verbal blowup on the platform of the East 149th Street station turned violent when one of the men involved shoved the other directly onto the tracks. According to police, the victim landed near the third rail just minutes before an oncoming train was due into the station.
In a stretch of luck that transit officials are calling extraordinary, the victim was able to scramble back onto the platform on his own and was conscious and talking when first responders arrived. EMS transported him to a nearby hospital where he is expected to recover fully.
The attacker fled the station before officers could close in, and the NYPD is asking the public for help identifying the suspect. Surveillance footage from the platform and the surrounding station has been pulled and is being reviewed.
The incident is the latest in a string of platform shovings that have rattled riders and put the MTA back in the political crosshairs over station safety. Council members representing the area are already pushing for additional patrols.