Taylor O'Bier
Two teens killed in separate 'subway surfing' incidents in New York
The dangerous act, which has gained popularity on social media, features people riding on the outside of subway cars.
LEARN MOREPosted: 4:57 p.m. EDT Oct 19, 2023
A 30-year-old woman is in critical condition after being pushed in front of a moving subway train in Manhattan on Wednesday, the New York Police Department said.
The man who police say pushed the woman was identified as 39-year-old Sabir Jones. The New York Times reported Jones was arrested Thursday in Newark, New Jersey after being recognized by another citizen at the Newark Penn Station.
It's unclear what charges Jones faces in connection with the attack.
Police said the woman was randomly shoved into the train when she was on her way to work around noon at the Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street station.
Officials with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which operates the subway, said the train was pulling out of the station when she was pushed, causing her head to hit the train as it left. She then fell onto the tracks and was helped up by others who witnessed the assault.
The suspect fled the station on foot after the attack. Police said surveillance footage from the platform helped them identify him.
Officers said Jones was already known to the department from a previous arrest, and the New York Times reported he had a history of experiencing homelessness, mental illness and drug abuse — although it’s not been said whether these were factors in the incident.
NBC’s New York affiliate said Jones is reportedly tied to another attack in the same subway station.
While chances of an incident like this are relatively low, MTA is testing protective screen doors in three subway stations in the city as part of a pilot program to add more protection along the tracks.
The last fatal subway push happened in 2022, when 40-year-old Michelle Go was shoved onto the tracks at Times Square by a 61-year-old man with a history of homelessness and schizophrenia.
