A 23-year-old woman was pushed into an approaching A train by a homeless man at a subway station in Manhattan early Monday, with nearby witnesses helping police track down the suspect.
The woman collided with the train and fell onto the platform, sustaining bruises on her face, hands, knees, and shoulder. Fortunately, she is expected to recover, according to law enforcement officials.
The frightening incident occurred just after 9 a.m. at the 175th Street station, where the assailant, identified as Markeese Brazelis, 26, reportedly shoved the victim as the train was arriving.
The woman was hit by the train before being thrown back onto the platform. Emergency responders transported her to St. Luke’s Hospital for treatment, the sources confirmed.
Meanwhile, Brazelis was apprehended at the 181st Street station after alert witnesses took pictures of him and handed them to responding officers.
He faces charges of assault and first-degree reckless endangerment in connection with the unprovoked attack, the NYPD confirmed.
Brazelis has a criminal history, with at least two previous arrests — one on January 19 for trespassing at a Bergen Street subway station, according to law enforcement sources.
He was charged with trespassing in Kings County Criminal Court and released without bail on January 22, court documents show.
On December 21, Brazelis was also charged with third-degree sexual abuse for allegedly groping a woman on a C train at West 50th Street and Eighth Avenue, according to records.
In both incidents, he was released without bail.
This latest assault is part of a troubling pattern of violent attacks on New York City’s transit system in recent weeks.
Earlier Sunday, a 25-year-old passenger was repeatedly stabbed on a Bronx subway train, and the attacker remains at large, police said.
On Friday, a 66-year-old woman was struck in the head with a golf club at a station in the Financial District, leaving her with a serious wound, and the assailant is still on the loose.
{Matzav.com}