A dispute over a staring contest escalated to violence on a New York City subway Friday morning, resulting in a rider being shoved onto the train tracks. The incident occurred around 9 a.m. as a southbound E train arrived at the West Fourth Street Station in Greenwich Village.
According to police, the two men began arguing about who had initiated the stare. As the train pulled into the station, the victim exited, but the suspect followed him onto the platform. After the train departed, the suspect pushed the victim onto the tracks.
Bystanders quickly intervened, pulling the man back to safety on the platform before he could be struck by another train. The victim sustained minor bruises and scratches and was transported to Bellevue Hospital for treatment. The suspect, described as a stocky Black man approximately 5-foot-7, wearing all black with black and white sneakers and carrying a black bag, fled the station toward the B/D train line. Investigators are reviewing station surveillance footage to identify and apprehend him.
This incident follows a similar event earlier in the week. On Tuesday, a man was pushed onto subway tracks in Harlem after a dispute on a southbound 3 train platform at 125th Street around 9 p.m. In that case, good Samaritans also rescued the victim, who was taken to Harlem Hospital in stable condition. The victim in the Harlem incident stated he did not know his attacker, though witnesses reported an argument preceded the shove. The suspect in the Harlem incident was described as wearing all black with a pulled-up hood and carrying a black duffel bag.