Woman killed after being pushed in front of subway train as stunned commuters looked on in New York
Police arrest female suspect after witnesses describe two women arguing moments before bloody incident
A WOMAN has died after being shoved in front of a moving train in New York on Monday afternoon, police have said.
The 49-year-old victim was standing on the platform at Times Square station when another woman pushed her onto the tracks in front of horrified commuters at around 1.20pm, cops announced.
The woman was struck by an oncoming train and was killed instantly at the popular tourist spot in Midtown Manhattan.
A 30-year-old female suspect with a history of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia was arrested in connection with the attack.
Transit chief Joseph Fox added: “What happened here today is tragic.”
One witness – who works on the city’s public transport network – told the : “When I first arrived the train was out of service and the NYPD (police) and FDNY (firemen) were evacuating people from the train.”
Two hours after the incident, emergency responders were working to remove the woman's body from the tracks and resume subway service at the station before peak evening commuting hours.
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Investigators were reviewing surveillance video and interviewing witnesses to determine a motive, said William Aubry, the police department's chief of Manhattan detectives.
Many of those who saw the attack were visibly shaken.
Some witnesses said the victim and the suspect were involved in a dispute before the fatal shove, Aubry said, but it was not immediately clear whether the women knew each other.
Aubry said: “Our hearts go out to the victim and the other people who were on the platform and saw this.
“We are looking at video of this incident and the person of interest as they entered the station.”
Dozens of people are hit by New York City subway trains each year, although most of the incidents are accidental, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the system.
Last year, a woman was convicted and sentenced to 24 years in prison for fatally pushing a man into the path of an oncoming New York subway train in 2012.
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