Murder charge for woman suspected of pushing commuter in front of Times Square subway train in New York
Suspect was seen arguing with victim just moments before she was shoved onto the tracks
POLICE have arrested and charged with murder a woman accused of shoving a commuter in front of a moving train in New York on Monday afternoon.
Melanie Liverpool-Turner, 30, was seen arguing with Connie Watton, 49, on the platform at Times Square station before the victim was pushed onto the tracks.
Ms Watton was struck by an oncoming train and was killed instantly at the popular tourist spot in Midtown Manhattan.
The suspect -- who police say has 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 (fire fighters) 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.
It is not thought that the two women were known to 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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