NYC subway train kills man pushed off platform

Michael Winter, USA TODAY | USATODAY

A 58-year-old man died Monday after he was pushed off a subway platform in Midtown Manhattan and hit by a train pulling into the station, according to news reports.

Some witnesses reported the victim had argued with the suspect, estimated to be in his 20s, before being pushed, while others said the suspect had been talking to himself and the victim asked what was wrong. The New York Daily News described the suspect, who fled, as being "emotionally disturbed."

Witnesses said the victim tried to climb back onto the platform about 12:30 p.m. ET as the southbound train on the N, Q, R line approached West 49th Street along Seventh Avenue.

"He gets back on his feet," a police source told the Daily News. "He's waving to the train, 'Stop! Stop!' He tries to climb up onto the platform and the train hits him."

Officials said several bystanders were treated for shock.

The New York Times notes that in June a stranger pushed a woman onto subway tracks in the Bronx but she was rescued by friends. In August 2010, a 39-year-old woman was injured by a train after being pushed off a platform.