Kamel Hawkins, a 23-year-old man, was charged with attempted murder after he was seen shoving a complete stranger onto the tracks at the 18th Street station moments before the subway train came. The chilling video of the incident went viral with social media users commenting on how the NYC subway has become a haven for maniacs — with back-to-back incidents of stabbing, and setting on fire taking place.
After pushing a random stranger onto the train track, Hawkins fled the station and was arrested hours later above ground near Columbus Circle.
Hawkins has a record of weird behaviors and past crimes including one where he assaulted a cop. In 2019, Hawkins was charged after slamming a cop to the ground on Flushing Avenue when the officer spotted him acting disorderly, leaving the cop with a back injury.
Hawkins also has an open case in Brooklyn on assault, harassment and weapons possession charges for an incident. Reports said he was released without bail in another case in 2020 despite prosecutors asking that he be held.
Police said Hawkins randomly chose the 45-year-old man to push him into the track and he did not know him before
What happened to the victim?
The victim, a 45-year-old man, was taken to Bellview Hospital in critical condition with a head injury and a broken rib. He was not struck by the train but fell on the tracks as the train passed. “He’s alive! He’s alive,” a bystander screamed as firefighters worked to pull the victim from between subway cars.
‘We were told there was a man under the subway’
Violet Paley, who was travelling the 1 train when the attack occurred said there was an abrupts stop and an announcement was made to evacuate the train. “All of a sudden there was an abrupt stop and because of everything I’ve been seeing on the news, the first thing that came to my mind was that someone probably got pushed in front of the subway, which is such a dark thought,” she told CNN.
“He said we had to evacuate because there was a man under the subway,” Paley said.
“They pulled him out, and he was laying there, and I saw his hands and fingers move. I was in so much shock that he was alive. It was unbelievable.”
