Police Search for Suspect After Elderly Man Pushed Off Train onto Subway Platform in NYC

The New York Police Department (NYPD) is actively searching for a man who pushed an 80-year-old man onto a subway platform in Manhattan.

The incident happened on Wednesday, November 20, at around 4:30 p.m. at the Grand Central-42nd Street subway station on Lexington Avenue. According to the NYPD, the elderly man was boarding a train when he got into an argument with a younger man. Moments later, the younger man shoved him off the train and onto the platform.

Surveillance footage released by the NYPD shows the suspect yelling before forcefully pushing the elderly man out of the subway car. The automatic doors then closed, and the suspect remained on the train as it departed the station.

In a press release, the NYPD explained, “The unidentified individual pushed the male victim off the train, causing him to fall onto the northbound platform.” The 80-year-old suffered a hip injury during the fall and was taken to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital by emergency responders. He is currently in stable condition. The suspect fled the scene, and his whereabouts remain unknown.

Detectives have shared a photo and description of the suspect to seek the public’s help. The man is described as approximately 6 feet 3 inches tall, weighing around 210 pounds, with a light complexion. He was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, a brown hat, and black headphones.

This incident is the latest in a string of violent and dangerous events in New York City’s subway system. Earlier this year, in March, a man tragically died after being pushed onto the tracks at the East Harlem 125th Street station. That attack was described as “unprovoked” by police. The train could not stop in time and fatally struck the victim. The suspect, a 24-year-old man, was later arrested.

That same month, another man was charged with attempted murder after allegedly pushing his girlfriend onto the tracks during a domestic dispute at the Fulton Street station. The 29-year-old woman was hit by a train but survived.

In October, an 82-year-old woman was also pushed onto subway tracks at a station in Flushing, Queens. Despite efforts, no suspect was apprehended in that case.