Shocking footage captured the moment a man was shoved underneath a New York City subway by a masked assailant who fled the scene.
Footage from security cameras depicted an unidentified individual, the victim, standing close to the platform’s edge at 18th street in the Manhattan neighborhood of West Village, while a subway train was approaching.
A person wearing a mask followed behind the victim and, upon apparently realizing the train’s approach, forcefully pushed the victim from behind, causing them to fall onto the tracks.
Subsequently, two individuals, who had evaded payment by leaping over the turnstile just moments earlier, witnessed the alarming incident and quickly escaped the scene.
Cops released images of the suspect, who remains at large. He was described as a man with light complexion wearing a mask, black jacket, black hoodie and grey jeans.
Separate footage shared by stunned passengers later showed the moment the victim was rescued from under the train, as bystanders breathed a sigh of relief to see he survived.
Around a dozen firefighters were seen working to pull the man from the subway tracks. Authorities said the victim, who appeared to have blood on his face, was hospitalized in critical condition.
A woman filming the encounter could be heard expressing her relief after the victim was helped onto the platform.
‘He’s alive!’ she said, before turning to other passengers and repeating: ‘He’s alive.’
Cops said the subway shover did not appear to know the victim, and described it as a random attack.
The subway platform was evacuated and the NYPD closed the scene as they investigate the incident.
The shocking incident is the latest of a string of horror attacks on New York City’s subway system.
On Christmas Eve, two people were injured in Manhattan’s Grand Central Station after a maniac went on a stabbing rampage.
Sources told DailyMail.com at the time that a 28-year-old man slashed two strangers with a knife in the seemingly random attack just after 10pm at the busy tourist hotspot.
And just days before, the Big Apple was stunned when a homeless woman was set on fire and burned to death while she slept on a subway car.
The victim was identified Tuesday by the NYPD as Debrina Kawam, a 61-year-old homeless woman from New Jersey.
Kawam’s murder captured international headlines as many were left shocked by the response of the NYPD.
An officer was seen walking past the victim while she was still ablaze, while the man who allegedly set her on fire – illegal immigrant Sebastian Zepeta – stood by fanning the flames with his jacket.
Zepeta, 33, is facing murder and arson charges following the horror incident.
Officials used fingerprint data, dental records and DNA evidence to identify Kawam, and said she was believed to have been homeless. She was originally from Tom’s River, New Jersey.
Kawam was reportedly sleeping on the subway car around 7:30am on December 22 at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn when she was set ablaze.
Shocked social media users blasted the police response – describing the behavior of cops caught on camera as ‘cowardly’ and ‘shameful’ while calling for them to be named or fired.
Despite widespread outrage at the cop failing to step in, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Titsch praised the police response to the heinous incident as ‘an example of great technology and even greater old fashioned police work’ during a press conference on Sunday night.
Condemnation of the response from officials was led on Tuesday by New York Congressman Ritchie Torres, who slammed fellow Democrat New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
The same day Kawam was identified, Hochul shared a tweet boasting of ‘dedicating our efforts to putting more money in your pockets and building an Empire State where everyone has an opportunity to succeed.’
Torres said in response: ‘On the same day the murder victim of the subway fire, Debrina Kawam (61) was finally identified, Governor Hochul feels the need to take a victory lap.
”Mission accomplished’ is the ultimate form of gaslighting.’
