The incident is reminiscent of a similar case that happened in Brussels on Friday, where the victim was saved by the metro driver’s reflexes.
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The New York subway, December 20, 2021 in a Brooklyn station @BelgaImage
A woman has died after being pushed onto the subway tracks in New York by a man, US media reported on Sunday.
A racist attack?
A man approached a 40-year-old woman who was waiting for the subway in Times Square, downtown on Saturday morning. He pushed her onto the tracks just as a subway was approaching, reported the New York Times. The woman was hit and died.
The attack seems random. The assailant is a 61-year-old man who suffers from mental illness and may be homeless. He has been in court before. The victim was of Asian descent. The newspaper points out that there has been a sharp increase in acts of hatred against Asians since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. However, according to the police, there is no indication that the woman was assaulted because of her origin.
Similar incident in Brussels
The story is reminiscent of Friday night’s incident at the Rogier metro station in Brussels. A man also pushed a woman onto the tracks when a train arrived. The subway driver was able to brake in time and the woman suffered only minor injuries. “The driver reacted very well, but he is still in shock and so is the person.“, explained Friday evening a spokesperson for the STIB. They were both taken to hospital, but had already left the facility on Saturday morning.
The perpetrator fled running through the subway tracks. Thanks to the broadcast of images of the suspect, the police were able to arrest him a few minutes later when he was in the De Brouckère metro station. He was interviewed by the police, then by an investigating judge. “The investigation is ongoing to determine the exact circumstances of the facts as well as the motive of the suspect.“Assured Saturday morning the deputy Crown prosecutor, Sarah Durant, by press release. The individual has since been charged with attempted murder. The investigating judge also appointed a psychiatric expert to assess the mental health of the suspect.
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