A man accused of pushing a 76-year-old man to his death down the stairs in a Manhattan subway appeared in court just hours after the horrific incident. Remarkably, he managed to leave without anyone realizing he was the perpetrator, according to reports.
Raimel Burke’s behavior during his Friday morning appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court was described as erratic. Sources noted he seemed out of sorts, raising concerns about how a person involved in such an act could just walk away unnoticed, even if he didn’t realize he was a suspect.
In fact, at one moment, Burke was seen on surveillance footage with his hands raised, as though surrendering. He was in front of Judge Elizabeth Shammas for a hearing on a third-degree assault charge. After the hearing was adjourned, he left court roughly two hours later.
The night prior, Burke chased retired teacher Ross Falzone near the Chelsea subway station before pushing the 76-year-old down the stairs, leading to Falzone’s death.
Authorities noted that Burke’s appearance in court the next day was under a different case, and law enforcement did not initially recognize him as the suspect.
Meanwhile, detectives from the NYPD’s warrant division, working overtime for the transit agency, attempted to locate Falzone after learning he had entered Penn Station in relation to the incident.
Moreover, Burke had been released from Bellevue Hospital’s psychiatric ward only five hours before he assaulted Falzone. Since February, he has faced four arrests, highlighting a troubling pattern.
The police had previously taken Burke to the hospital as an “emotionally disturbed person” earlier that day after he was observed behaving erratically outside the 17th Precinct on East 51st Street. Reports indicate he had even picked up a stick from the garbage and approached officers while holding it.
