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Woman shoved onto subway tracks in Union Square
A woman miraculously missed being hit by a subway train after she was shoved onto the tracks in Union Square.
NEW YORK - A woman survived after she was pushed onto the subway tracks at the Union Square station in Manhattan on Thursday morning and run over by two train cars.
According to NYPD Chief of Transit Kathleen O'Reilly, a man in his mid-20s was pacing on the platform before he shoved her onto the tracks in front of a northbound 5 train. The woman managed to avoid being hit by the train, suffering only bumps and bruises from her fall, even as the train's first two cars passed over her.
Police say the man laid down on the platform after attack and was quickly arrested. He has been identified as 24-year-old Aditya Vemulapati and was charged with attempted murder, assault, and reckless endangerment.
New York City Transit Interim President Sarah Feinberg called the attack "horrible," and called on the city to do a better job handling people with mental illness.
"It's gotta be addressed and I'm desperate for this mayor or the next mayor to take it on because we've got a long way to go," Feinberg said.
While she expressed sympathy for the city's homeless population, Feinberg argued that the city's transit system should only serve those looking to travel on it.
"We cannot be a location where we just gather folks who are suffering a mental health crisis. It's not fair to the people who are using the system," Feinberg said.