Man dies after being pushed onto NY subway tracks

A man died after being pushed onto the New York subway tracks in an unprovoked attack, authorities reported less than a month after troops were deployed to reduce surging violence in the city's transportation system.

The victim, who is yet to be identified, was shoved in front of an oncoming No. 4 train early this week in East Harlem, according to police.

Officers arrested and charged the alleged assailant, a 24-year-old man named Carlton McPherson, who local media reported has a long history of mental illness.

In recent months there have been a number of deadly shootings, as well as incidents involving knives and passengers being pushed onto the tracks.

"A preliminary investigation determined that the victim was pushed to the tracks as the train entered the station in an unprovoked attack," police said.

At the beginning of March, New York state Governor Kathy Hochul deployed 750 National Guard troops to monitor and protect the more than 400 subway stations in the city's sprawling transportation network. 

A few hours before the Monday incident, the New York Police Department additionally announced that 800 officers would pursue violators who sneak in without paying.

New York, which suffers from strong socioeconomic inequality, experienced a sharp rise in crime during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, but statistics have improved since then.

That said, major crime was up almost 50% in the subway system in January, compared to the same period in 2023.

The Monday incident is only the latest in a long string of subway violence that has left those who use the city's transportation system in a state of high alert.

"I pay attention, only put in one EarPod," 24-year-old Jahlen Brown of New Jersey told AFP.

On Feb. 12, one person was killed and five others injured in a shooting at a New York subway station just ahead of the busy rush hour.

Recently another woman lost both her feet after her partner pushed her onto the train tracks following an argument.

And in October a woman was hospitalized in critical condition after an apparently disturbed person pushed her against a train entering the station. (AFP)