The man was pulled from the tracks by fellow commuters, as an F train was rolling into the station. The incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime. NBC New York’s Myles Miller reports.
An Asian man was thrown onto train tracks inside a station in Queens early Monday morning, and pulled back to safety by other commuters before he could be hit by a train.
Police want to find the man responsible for allegedly shoving the 36-year-old Queens man onto the tracks around 7:45 a.m. at the 21st-Queensbridge Station just as an F train was rolling into the station. Witnesses reportedly told investigators the suspect walked up to the victim, spoke to him before shoving him onto the southbound tracks.
The victim suffered a forehead laceration, but was expected to be OK, police said. He was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital for care.
According to the NYPD, it's not clear what was said to the victim due to a language barrier between the men, as the victim only speaks Mandarin.
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An image of the reported suspect leaving the station has been circulated as the NYPD investigates whether the attack was motivated by race. Police said the perpetrator is 20 to 30 years old, approximately 6 feet tall, and wore a black face mask, black hoodie, with black pants and black shoes.
The MTA released a statement on Monday following the reported attack reiterating its focus on keeping commuters safe as the subway system comes back from a pandemic slowdown.
"Like other transit systems across the country the MTA is experiencing a significant dip in ridership and a spike in crime. We continue to call on the de Blasio administration to partner with us and do more to address subway incidents and the ongoing mental health crisis in the city," a spokesperson shared in a statement.
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The MTA has been dealing with a spike in subway crime for months now. At the same station where the man was shoved, hung three wanted posters for past assaults that happened at the same location.
It was not the only act of violence on the subways Monday. Police were combing over the scene at the Lefferts Boulevard Station in Richmond Hill after a man was stabbed in the back on the A train platform there around 8 p.m., police said. The suspect stole the victim's wallet before fleeing the scene.
The victim was rushed to the hospital in serious but stable condition. Police are searching for the suspect.
