Category: Deaths

Person Killed by Subway Train at 116th Street

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Around 7:30am, a report of a person struck by a train went out across police radios.

The incident occurred around 116th Street & Broadway on the Uptown 1 line.  The thing we find odd is the report that the person was dead on arrival between 116th and 125th.  That makes it sound like the person may have been in the tunnel when they were hit.  That’s just an assumption.

Typically, people that jump or fall off the platform die right there.  There’s no report of the bodies being found “between” stops.

However, I suppose it is possible that he person was hit and dragged as the train pulled out of the station.

The incident tied up trains for hours right in the heart of rush hour.  Beyond that, not too many details are available.  That makes me think that it was probably a homeless person living in the tunnels that got hit.

More Craziness: Three Separate People Run Over by Trains

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The natives are getting restless folks.  In 3 separate incidents, people found themselves under subway trains.

SUWBAYblogger assumes that they were suicide attempts unless other information is available.  Why?  Isn’t that cold?  Well maybe, but there’s good reason.

The media would report if someone were pushed onto the tracks.  That would be a big story.  If someone had a heart attack and fell accidentally, that would be reported too, but probably not as big.

Suicides, however, are very rarely reported (if ever) due to fear of the mentally unstable that my copy-cat the act.  So when people end up on the tracks, and then you never hear anything about it, it was probably a suicide.

Anyway, there was one incident this morning around 3:45AM at the Beverly Rd Q train station in Brooklyn.  Emergency workers arrived on the scene, but the person was already dead.

Then around 8:30AM, there was another jumper.  This time it was on the uptown 4 train platform at Union Square.  No word on that one, but going to assume there was a death there.

Then just a couple hours ago on the F line at Delancey Street, another person was “confirmed” to be pinned under a train.  The patient was removed in an unknown condition.

So yeah, it’s getting pretty crazy.  Next full moon, I’m just staying home.

Another Suicide Jumper at 96th & Broadway

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Dear Subway Blogger,

Last night around 11:30 a man jumped in front of the 23 uptown at 96th street.  I was in the first car and it was really awful.  The train conductor confirmed that it was a jumper; she said “he was facing the other direction; he just whirled around and jumped.”  It was such a horrible experience, and they let us off the train before the medics even arrived, and I did not stick around to see any more.

Well, I did find some details.  Read More »

Dead or Alive

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Contributed by a SUBWAYblogger reader Leslie S.: 

I was on my way to DTW for Yanira Castro’s installation piece, when I almost tripped on who I thought was on ordinary subway vagrant on the steps leading outside to the NE corner of 14th street at 6th avenue. (at the F stop)  I quickly realized that this man, bum or not, was not breathing and there was a small mass of people beginning to collect around the station. Mostly, people were as frozen as the man was.

I asked if anyone had a mirror, if the police had been called, had anytime tried to do CPR. No one really said anything, other than “he fell.” What worried me was that perhaps no one tried to help him immediately for fear he was homeless.

After about 5 minutes, the police and medics began pouring in and shoving people out of the way. No one in the crowd was of much help. Even the station agent who identified the man as a security agent who worked in the neighborhood, (and who presumably called 911) didn’t seem particularly concerned, or rather, there was a blatant lack of urgency or panic in his manner. CPR was performed for about 10 minutes but to no avail. A few minutes later, more support arrived to carry him away.

I am unsure as to his status and can only assume he did not make it, but have not heard anything on any local news outlet, so am wondering if anyone has written in about this or if anyone has heard anything about tragic incident.

I do hope he is alive.

Jumper DOA at 49th Street on the N Train

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There are reports this morning that there was a person under a train that was dead on arrival at the 49th Street stop on the N train.

SUBYWAYblogger reader Melody brought this to our attention, and then we were able to confirm it on the police scanner logs.

Melody was on the train that allegedly struck the person. However, she was unable to find any info about it in the main stream media or blogs. Again, for those that do not know, the main stream media rarely reports suicides. This is because reporting them often causes more suicides. People of an unstable nature, who might be considering killing themselves, often will become more likely to do so if they think it will get media attention. Often, the suicide is a cry for attention in the first place.

However, according to Melody’s report, there were other witnesses who said the guy was very drunk and just fell on to the tracks as the train was coming. So it might not have been a purposeful suicide in the first place. Might have just been a drunk guy who fell.

Without doing a Freedom of Information Act search in a few weeks, we may never know what really happened.

UPDATE: Here’s what one witness claims to have seen.

We approached the station, and as we pulled in we felt a premature thud/jerk with the brakes kicking in immediately. The conductor said the emergency brakes had been activated and that they were “investigating.” 20 minutes later we attempt to leave the station again, but we only moved about 3-5 feet before the emergency brakes kick in yet again.

At that point we were evacuated from the train, and were waiting on the platform for further instruction, when we hear sirens. A bunch of cops showed up, then someone came in with one of those orange medi-boards, and the cops immediately kicked everyone out saying, “This station is closed!!!”

Read More »

When it rains, it pours

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Has there been an insane amount of transit failures this week, or is it me?

There was Tuesday’s insanity, with what was first reported as a train derailment.  Turns out to have been a fairly massive mechanical failure.

Then, there was today’s crap on the 1, 2, and 3 line.  Still don’t know what the hell that was all about.  What I do know is that I am $20 lighter today thanks to the gypsy cab I had to take.  (Of course, everyone was looking for a cab.)

Oh and let’s not forget the suicide jumper we had in the middle of the day today, that was special.

It’s a roll of the dice every morning.

Morning 6 Train Jumper at 77th Street

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6_shad.jpgThanks to SUBWAYblogger buddy Todd for alerting us to this.

Early reports indicate that there was a jumper at 77th Street on or near the 6 train that had suspended service in both directions for a period of time.

The NYPD DCPI reports that there does not appear to be any indication that the person was pushed, or that there was any foul play.  Emergency services responded, but the person in question was DOA.

All we know for now.

The Idiots Just Never Stop

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Back in mid October, we did the story about a subway surfer that died up around 155th Street. Read the original story here.

At the time, witnesses said they saw Benjamin Brooks, 23, subway surfing, he fell, and was killed.

Well, now Brooks’ sister is writing in to comment. She says we should lay off, it was a tragedy, and he was just “…riding to get in the cart.” Here’s what she says:

benjimin was never pushed nor was he train surfing…..hes was riding to get in the cart…..before you make any judgement get your fActs straight because this was a tradgedy……plus people die doing all types of risky hobbies….so leave my brother alone and allow him to rest in peace!!!!!!!!!

Ok, first of all, what the hell does “riding to get in the cart” mean? Was he riding on the roof, hoping to get inside?

Secondly, look at date this was first published. It was published before the official results were published.

Third, I clearly said:

If it turns out that the kid accidentally fell off an overpass, onto the top of the train, and then surfed it downtown, I will retract my statement.

Fourth, people that were actually there said they saw him on top of the train. Those are called witnesses. I’m gonna go with no. Were you there?

Fifth, let’s look at those “facts” you say I need to get straight. Here’s what the New York Times published the next day:

But yesterday, the police said that it appeared that the dead man, Benjamin Brooks, 23, had simply missed a southbound C train at 155th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue in Harlem around 6:30 p.m. His friends were already inside, the authorities said, so Mr. Brooks apparently decided to hang by his fingers, and balance by his feet, from the outside of the car’s door.

When the train entered the tunnel between 155th and 145th Streets, Mr. Brooks, who had been living at a homeless shelter in Harlem, was apparently shorn from its side, the authorities said.

Well well well. It seems that your brother was just as dumb as suspected. Instead of just catching the next train, or waiting for his friends to get off the next stop and come back, your brother decided to cling onto the outside of the train like Spider Man. Only, he doesn’t have super powers.

Remember this video, and how appalled we all were? Yeah, this is the kind of thing your brother did.

So yeah, my judgment was was pretty accurate. I was wrong, he wasn’t surfing on top of the train. He was just voluntarily clinging to the side of it.

I’m sorry, this wasn’t a tragedy. This was an someone doing something that any normal person knows would get them killed. Just because it did get him killed doesn’t mean it was a tragedy. If I decide to lay down in the middle of the Lincoln Tunnel to take a nap and get run over, that is not a tragedy.

It would be a tragedy if someone was severely hurt inside the train when they had to slam on the brakes when they realized he was shorn from the side of the train. It would be a tragedy if a rescue worker was killed trying to save his life. However, your brother getting killed, while sad, was exactly the outcome that should be expected when someone does something that stupid. Oh, and by the way, riding outside the train is also illegal, so that makes the situation a crime too.

Subway Surfer Killed in Washington Heights (155th Street)

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Rumor has it that a 21 year old was “thrown from a train” up in Washington Heights, and killed.  Details are very hard to come by because police are not being very forthcoming at this time.  Also, details are hard to get late at night when the majority of the press are home in bed.

The kid was on (literally) a downtown C train.  Witnesses say that he may have been train surfing.

What the hell is train surfing?  It’s riding on the top of the subway cars like an old western movie.  Possibly one of the dumbest ideas ever.

The “victim” was on top of the train, according to witness reports, when the train went under an overpass.  You can fill in the blanks from there.  I will insert the sound effect:  SPLAT!

I know, I know.  I’m going to get chewed apart in the comments for being insensitive.  I don’t care.  Folks, this is Darwinism at its best.  As a species, our future is a little better of than it was yesterday.

If it turns out that the kid accidentally fell off an overpass, onto the top of the train, and then surfed it downtown, I will retract my statement.

All the details are/were unconfirmed at the time this was posted.  However, my secret sources say this is pretty much a closed case.