A quiet Saturday afternoon in Inwood turned dangerous when a man was shoved off the platform and onto the tracks at the Dyckman Street A station just before 4 p.m., police said. The victim managed to pull himself back up onto the platform before any train arrived, and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he is expected to survive, according to police.
Officers said the suspect was described as a man wearing a blue shirt and blue pants who ran from the station in an unknown direction. Detectives are investigating and are asking anyone with information to step forward.
What police reported
According to PIX11, the NYPD said the victim pulled himself back onto the platform and was treated at a nearby hospital, and confirmed he did not come into contact with a train. Police told the outlet the suspect bolted from the scene in an unknown direction, and investigators are now reviewing surveillance footage and talking to witnesses as they search for the person of interest.
A string of recent shoves
The Dyckman incident is the latest in a troubling series of unprovoked subway platform shoves across Manhattan this month. The NYPD told CBS New York there have already been nine subway-push incidents so far this year, compared with 19 for all of last year.
Police have circulated images and appealed to the public for help in several of those cases, fueling a fresh round of debate over how many workers and officers are actually needed on platforms to keep riders safe.
Transit safety options
Officials have floated a range of fixes, from limited platform barriers to pilot tests of platform screen doors. But reporting by The City notes that installing full platform screen doors across the system remains both costly and technically messy, especially in older stations.
Riders and transit advocates say a mix of more visible staff, stepped-up patrols and faster rollout of barriers where feasible could help cut down on both accidental falls and deliberate shoves.
How to help investigators
Anyone with information about the Dyckman station shove is urged to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit tips online, according to CBS New York. Witnesses who recorded video or snapped photos are asked to preserve them and contact police so detectives can review any potentially crucial footage.
Investigators continued canvassing the station area and pulling surveillance clips as the city’s transit system wrestles with a string of platform shoves that have rattled riders. No arrests have been announced in the Dyckman case so far.
