A 36-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly shoving a 70-year-old woman onto subway tracks at the 7th Avenue/57th Street station on Saturday afternoon. The victim was pulled back onto the platform by other passengers and sustained only a laceration to her head.
The suspect, identified as Zaki Smith, has a history of felony convictions. According to reports, Smith was on parole at the time of the incident, despite allegedly having violated its terms at least three times since his release last year. His prior convictions include an assault on a correctional officer at Rikers Island in 2022.
Despite multiple arrests after his release, including charges for robbery and drug sales, Smith was not returned to prison. He was also arrested in June for allegedly stealing cleaning supplies from a Manhattan apartment building. This pattern of alleged offenses and parole status has raised questions about the effectiveness of the city's criminal justice and parole systems.
The incident has drawn criticism of city leadership, with specific reference to Mayor Zohran Mamdani's past legislative actions, including voting for the "Less is More Act" as an assemblyman, which reformed parole laws to make it more difficult to return parolees to prison.
Officials are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged shoving and Smith's parole status.