New York Asian Woman Pushed Off a Subway Station to Death: Suspect Charged with Murder

According to the comprehensive report of the Us Chinese Network on January 17, on the morning of the 15th, a subway push case occurred in New York City, usa, and an Asian woman died. New York police confirmed later on the 15th that a man had been arrested and charged with second-degree murder.

New York Police Chief Kishant Hughell said at a news conference with Mayor Eric Adams that the man fled the scene but turned himself in to police shortly after.

Police later confirmed the man was Simon Martial, 61, who is now charged with murder in connection with the attack. His criminal history includes multiple arrests, and police sources say he is still on parole.

"In the last three encounters with us, we have documented his emotional disorders." Assistant Commissioner Jason Wilcox said.

Investigators believe the man was homeless at the time of the attack.

The New York Post reported that a man turned himself in at a traffic substation on Kenny Street on the morning of the 15th. The man, with a gray beard and a black hooded jacket, grimaced at the photographers present before being taken into the Midtown South District Police Station on West 35th Street.

Police said the victim of the case was a 40-year-old Asian-American woman from New York City. The incident occurred at the platform of line N/Q/R at the 42nd Street Times Square subway station. At about 9:40 a.m. on the 15th, she was pushed off the platform when a southbound R-line train entered the station.

When the police arrived, they found the woman lying on the railroad tracks, physically traumatized, and unconscious. She was subsequently pronounced dead on the spot by first responders.

Police sources said the victim was pushed with two other women.

Police said the victim had no contact with the suspect before the incident, who had harassed another woman who was not of Asian descent before pushing the person, but was shunned by the other party.

"After he approached her, she became very, very panicked." Wilcox said. She tried to dodge him, but he approached her again and she felt like he was going to push her towards the train with his body. When she finally dodged, she saw the course of the crime that followed, and he pushed another victim onto the tracks. ”

Against the backdrop of rising anti-Asian hate crimes in New York and across the country, the 15-day attack also raised concerns. Police said they were investigating whether the murder was a hate crime, but noted that the first woman suspected of contacting was not Asian, but Of African descent.

"Dying in this way for a New York resident will only make those who don't ride the subway even more terrified," Adams said. ”

Libb, Acting Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Rapid Transit Agency (MTA), said: "A man of good end died in our city centre, in times Square, at the heart of our metro system. This is unreasonable. This is unacceptable and must be stopped. ”

This is the second push incident in more than two months at the same platform at the Times Square subway station. On November 12, 2021, a suspect pushed a woman onto the tracks, but fortunately she was rescued by well-wishers before the train arrived.

According to the NYPD, as of December 12, 2021, there were 27 subway pushes in New York, up from 25 in the same period in 2020.

Since the beginning of the epidemic, safety issues in the subway have continued to attract attention. Last week, New York Governor Hochull and Mayor Adams announced a new plan aimed at attracting more passengers back to the subway.

Under the plan, more than 2,000 police officers on duty inside the subway will regularly inspect subway platforms and carriages to drive out homeless people to alleviate widespread fears of crime.

Transportation department officials stressed that serious crime in the subway system is at its lowest level in decades, with the number of serious crimes as of last November being the lowest in 25 years. However, metro ridership is also much lower than in previous years, with the proportion of crimes per million passengers rising since 2019.

Investigators have yet to determine whether the latest case was racially motivated. During the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-Asian hatred has surged across the United States. New York City crime statistics show that as of December 2021, there was a 361 percent increase in cases against Asians compared to the previous year.

Source: China News Network