Police: Man, 74, pushed onto subway tracks in unprovoked attack on Upper East Side
NEW YORK -- A 74-year-old man was pushed onto the subway tracks early Tuesday morning in what appears to have been a random, unprovoked attack.
It happened around 12:15 a.m. at the 68th Street-Hunter College station on the Upper East Side.
Police said the victim was on the southbound 6 train platform when he noticed a man pacing back and forth, cursing and talking to himself. The victim said he didn't engage, walked past the suspect, and moments later was pushed onto the tracks.
An MTA employee helped the victim back onto the platform. He was then taken to the hospital in stable condition with cuts and bruises from the fall. Police said he was conscious and complaining of back pain, but did not elaborate on the extent of his injuries.
CBS New York spoke with subway riders who had their heads on a swivel after learning of another subway attack.
"It makes me not want to get on the train, which is less convenient, especially for the students at Hunter, too," subway rider Kaylani Miller said.
"I never stand by the edge of the platform," one person said.
"You can't hear about them and not be concerned," said another.
"What I say is act crazier. That's the only way to prevent yourself from getting hurt over here," rider Jaylin Brunson said.
Hours after the shove, additional officers stood watch underground, providing comfort to some, but not all.
"There are just only so many places the police can be. You can't put police on every platform, on every subway station, on every subway car. So yeah, it ha probably deterred some stuff, but it's a big city," Gary Alterman said.
Police were combing through surveillance from the 14 cameras located in the station. They said the suspect is still on the run and was last seen wearing a brown shirt and black pants. He's described as 5-foot-9, approximately 210 pounds, and in his mid 30s.
Even if he's caught, passengers said they can't let their guard down after too many similar cases have happened in the past.
"Usually, I try to stay over here or in the middle, never close to the yellow," said Mariela Pechalova.
"I don't really use my headphones, because I want to be aware of my surroundings, and just making sure I look around when I'm walking," another person added.
Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.