Ben Benedict stood near the edge of the Washington Street subway platform, waiting for a late-night train home, when he felt a hard jab to the back and tumbled to the tracks five feet below.



He stopped a foot short of the third rail and immediately looked down the tracks, but didn't see the train yet, according to Benedict. Then he looked up and saw the guy who pushed him. He was staring at Benedict and not saying a word.



Benedict tried to scramble back up but the man kept blocking his way, pointing his finger at him and pacing back and forth. Benedict said he screamed at people on the other side of the platform, but the man tried to push them away until they formed a circle and helped Benedict onto the Blue Line platform.



The man ran off.



The attack happened more than a month ago but neither police nor the CTA have issued public alerts about it. Key details from Benedict have been confirmed by surveillance video, according to the CTA. Photos of the suspect, pulled from the video, have been circulated among CTA security and Chicago police officers but have not been released to the public.



The Tribune learned of the incident Wednesday from sources.



Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said authorities chose not to alert the public after Benedict went to police because "this appears to be an isolated incident." He noted that Benedict "did not sustain serious injury and was assisted off the tracks."



He said detectives are working to identify the attacker from CTA surveillance video. "CTA and CPD do not believe there is any risk to the traveling public," Guglielmi said in an email to the Tribune.



CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase said the transit agency did not send out an alert on its own because they leave it to police.