(HorizonPost.com) – New York City police arrested a 24-year-old man for murder on Monday night after he fatally pushed another man onto the subway tracks at an East Harlem station, the New York Times reported.
Carlton McPherson, 24, shoved the victim off in front of the inbound No. 4 train at the 125th St and Lex station at 6:48 p.m. on Monday in what police say was an unprovoked attack. The conductor was unable to stop in time to avoid striking the victim who was killed.
A senior NYPD official told the New York Times that McPherson had been arrested multiple times in Brooklyn starting from the age of 16 and suffered from a history of mental illness.
Many subway riders told the New York Times Monday night that the violence on subway trains and platforms had gotten out of hand.
Bronx resident Ray Velez told the Times that he wished officials would do something about all of the mentally ill people who have been on the subways.
Monday’s deadly incident occurred just hours after city officials announced plans to deploy another 800 officers into the subways to crack down on fare evaders.
NYPD Transit Chief Michael Kemper told reporters on Monday that turnstile jumping contributed to the criminal atmosphere in the subways.
While overall crime in the New York transit system is down by 15 percent in March compared to last year, there have been several high-profile slashings and shootings in recent months that have put many commuters on edge.
Earlier this month, New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the deployment of 750 members of the New York National Guard in the subways to help curb violent crime. Less than two weeks later, a brawl on the A train ended in a shooting, only reinforcing the problems the city faces in policing the subway system.
On Monday morning, two men on a subway train in Brooklyn got into an argument over smoking that ended with one of the men getting stabbed multiple times. A suspect was arrested in connection to the incident.
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