A 40-year-old man has been arrested and charged with assault and reckless endangerment after allegedly shoving a 72-year-old man onto subway tracks in Manhattan early Wednesday. The incident occurred around 4 a.m. at the 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center station.
Police said the victim was waiting for a northbound F and D train when the assailant approached from behind and pushed him onto the tracks without any verbal interaction. The elderly man managed to climb back onto the platform on his own. He was transported to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition.
The suspect, identified as Francisco Garcia, was apprehended at the scene. Authorities noted that Garcia did not appear to have a prior criminal record in New York City.
This event follows a similar unprovoked attack on the subway system just weeks prior. In that incident, a 27-year-old U.S. Army soldier, Aaron Kareem Watson, was pushed onto the train tracks at the West Fourth Street station. Watson, who was on leave to attend his father's funeral, was also hospitalized in stable condition. The suspect in that case fled the scene and has not been apprehended.
The Rockefeller Center station is a major transit hub in Midtown Manhattan, serving numerous uptown and downtown lines.