Over the weekend, an unexpected act of violence took place in Brooklyn when a stranger pushed a 35-year-old man onto the subway tracks, marking the second incident of this kind in the subway this year, according to police and other sources.
This unfortunate event occurred around 4:55 a.m. Sunday at the southbound R train platform at 36th Avenue in Sunset Park. It seems a man approached the victim without a word and forcefully shoved him onto the tracks, as reported by authorities.
As of Monday afternoon, the police had not yet apprehended the suspect, who apparently was in a violent rampage.
Luckily, a train wasn’t heading towards the station at that moment, allowing the victim to climb back onto the platform with assistance from police officers on the scene.
The man was then transported to New York University Langone Hospital in Brooklyn, where he was listed in stable condition, which is good to hear.
On Monday afternoon, the NYPD released photos of the suspect who is described as having dark curly hair and a short beard. He was last seen wearing a combination of black and gray clothing topped off with a khaki jacket.
This alarming incident is particularly striking since it’s happened just a few weeks into the new year. The first incident, also unprovoked, involved a seemingly intoxicated medical student from Russia who pushed a 72-year-old man into a moving train in the Bronx early on New Year’s Day, around 3:30 a.m. The older man lost consciousness but, thankfully, was hospitalized and is now in stable condition according to reports.
Anton Aleshin, a 29-year-old, was arrested in that earlier case and charged with attempted murder, and he is being held without bail.
While transit officials have expressed thoughts of a promising future for the year, highlighting a 4% drop in metro crimes compared to last year and a notable decrease in both robberies and shootings, such violent incidents remain concerning.
If anyone has information that might help in catching those responsible for recent subway attacks, they’re encouraged to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). For Spanish speakers, they can reach out at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). There’s also an option to submit tips through the Crimestoppers website.
