CNN
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A 23-year-old man faces attempted murder and assault charges after he allegedly pushed another man onto New York City subway tracks, police say, adding to a string of recent violent encounters across transit stations during the holiday season.
The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon at the 18th Street station in Chelsea, Manhattan, according to police, and took place the same day authorities announced the identity of a woman who was set on fire and killed on another New York City subway train last month.
The suspect in Tuesday’s attack, identified as Kamel Hawkins, has been charged with attempted murder in the second degree and assault in the second degree, the New York Police Department told CNN.
The victim, a 45-year-old man, was taken to Belleview Hospital in critical condition after the assault which left him with a head injury and broken rib, a law enforcement official told CNN.
Police said Tuesday night the victim was in stable condition. Authorities confirmed he was not struck by the train but fell on the tracks as it passed.
It is unclear what the attacker’s motive was or if there is any relationship between the suspect and the victim, police say.
CNN is working to determine Hawkins’ legal representation.
Violet Paley was on board the 1 train when the attack occurred.
“All of a sudden there was an abrupt stop and because of everything I’ve been seeing on the news, the first thing that came to my mind was that someone probably got pushed in front of the subway, which is such a dark thought,” she told CNN.
Roughly 10 minutes went by before the conductor went on the intercom to make an announcement.
“He said we had to evacuate because there was a man under the subway,” Paley said.
She said police officers and paramedics swarmed the area.
“They pulled him out, and he was laying there, and I saw his hands and fingers move. I was in so much shock that he was alive. It was unbelievable.”
Paley, a former New York resident, said when she lived in the city 10 years ago, she would always take the subway with no concerns.
Now, she’s nervous for the safety of her loved ones living in the city due to the randomized crime.
“It’s pretty chilling to imagine that this can happen to anyone,” Paley said.
Tuesday’s incident comes as police announced the identity of a woman who was burned alive while she was sleeping on another New York subway train last month.
The NYPD identified the victim as 57-year-old Debrina Kawan, a New Jersey resident.
Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, a 33-year-old undocumented migrant accused of killing Kawam, was indicted Friday on charges of first- and second-degree murder and arson. He has yet to enter a plea and is due to be arraigned January 7.
Authorities took more than a week to publicly identify Kawam. Investigators were using advanced fingerprinting and DNA evidence to try to identify her “badly burned” body, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said last week.
Kawam had a “brief stint” in the city’s shelter system, and officials have spoken to her next of kin, Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday at a news conference.
“People should not be living on our subway system. They should be in a place of care,” Adams told CNN’s Mark Morales. “And no matter where she lived, that should not have happened.”
The victim was initially believed to have been homeless, which complicated efforts to identify her, law enforcement sources previously told CNN.
