The deranged man who was killed by a strap hit “timed it perfectly” and “pushed with all his might” into an oncoming train, a witness to the horrifying random attack said on Tuesday.
Carlton McPherson, 24, got off the Uptown train at the East 125th Street and Lexington Avenue station Monday and stood on the platform for just a few minutes before attacking the victim, witnesses and people familiar with the case said. He is said to have rushed towards him.
“He seemed to have timed it perfectly,” witness Andriel Recio, 28, told the Post.
“He was walking…looking around, looking everywhere,” Recio recalled. “And when the train was approaching, he crept up behind the guy, tilted his hips back and pushed him, as if with all his might.
“That’s the man who just flew onto the tracks,” Ratio said of the victim.
McPherson, who has a history of mental illness and prior arrests, was arrested at the East Harlem station on suspicion of pushing Jason Volz, 54, of the Bronx, into the path of the northbound No. 4 train just before 7 p.m.
He was awaiting arraignment Tuesday in Manhattan Criminal Court on murder charges.
Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday that six New York City police officers were at the station at the time, but none could have stopped the sudden and unpredictable attack.
The deranged man waited just a few minutes on the platform until the next train arrived, according to Ratio and people familiar with the incident.
“He was clearly upset,” the witness said. “He had his pants up, like how guys are going to fight. Like, raise your stance and just turn to the side and look out over the area.”
Then, without warning, he slammed Mr. Volz onto the tracks, and within seconds the victim was hit by an oncoming train.
“He leaned back and pushed as hard as he could,” Recio recalled.
“It was literally random,” he added.
“Seeing it firsthand was really crazy.”
McPherson’s brother told the Post that his family had tried to get help for a troubled relative but had been repeatedly turned away despite his spiraling behavior.
Records show McPherson was arrested eight times, four of which were later sealed.
Recio said he could not sleep after witnessing the horrific attack and said he would take buses or taxis from now on.
“And, you know, he didn’t seem particularly troubled or like he was doing anything out of the ordinary,” Recio said. “He just looked angry. Like a kid who’s always angry.”
Additional reporting by Joe Marino
