Four People Were Struck and Killed by Subway Trains in 24 Hours
Three people were struck and killed by New York City subway trains on Tuesday, one day after a man was charged with murder after he allegedly shoved a stranger into the path of an oncoming train in East Harlem. Unlike Monday’s altercation, Tuesday’s subway deaths don’t appear to involve foul play.
The New York Post reported that on Tuesday evening, a 16-year-old girl was walking north on the tracks with a group near the Fourth Avenue–9th Street station in Park Slope when she was struck by a southbound G train. She was later pronounced dead. Her identity has not been released. F and G trains were temporarily suspended in both directions as emergency personnel responded to the scene.
Earlier that day, the MTA reported that 7 trains were delayed in both directions after a person was struck and killed at Fifth Avenue. PIX11 reports that the man was hit around 9:53 a.m. at the 42nd Street–Bryant Park/Fifth Avenue station in Manhattan. In the afternoon, another man was stuck by a train at the Beverley Road station in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn. The New York Daily News reports that the victim intentionally jumped in front of the southbound Q train around 2:05 p.m. and was found dead at the scene.
The sad trend extended beyond those 24 hours. Shortly after 3 p.m., the MTA announced that several train lines were running with delays after a person was struck by a train at the Grand Central-42nd Street station. The person’s status is currently unknown.
On Monday, Carlton McPherson was arrested after allegedly pushing a man onto the tracks at the 125th Street station that evening, where he was struck and killed by an oncoming 4 train. The New York Times reports that McPherson has a history of mental illness, according to law-enforcement sources, and has several past arrests on his record.
Though serious crime remains rare on the subways, several high-profile incidents have unsettled riders in recent months. Earlier this month, Governor Kathy Hochul deployed 750 National Guard members, as well as additional MTA police and state troopers, into the subways, a move that drew some praise and significant backlash. The NYPD announced this week that an additional 800 officers would be deployed to crack down on fare evasion, which the department has said can lead to additional transit crimes.
During a press briefing Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams emphasized that crime rates are on the decline overall, but that his administration must address ongoing concerns in order to restore New Yorkers’ confidence in the city’s safety. “Our focus must be this: recidivism, severe mental-health illness, random acts of violence. That is the mission, and those are the policies — this administration — we have put in place,” he said.