Man pushed onto tracks in brawl just as train pulls into station and kills him

05 January 2024 , 15:46

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Man pushed onto tracks in brawl just as train pulls into station and kills him

A shocking video has emerged of a man dying after being hit by a train following a brawl where he was launched onto the subway tracks.

The horrifying footage shows two men in a confrontation with a larger man in a grey jacket holding a smaller man in a black coat up against a column, before the smaller man breaks away and launches a clinical punch, sending the taller man stumbling and tumbling onto the tracks. It is seconds before a train pulls in and kills him, and blood curdling screams can be heard ringing out from appalled onlookers.

The men seen in the video have been described by a retired police sergeant as "known...destination-less riders", who "take the EL & Subway all day and night. They use the trains as toilets and beds". The tragedy occurred on Thursday at the 34th street station in Philadelphia.

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At the start of the video, a man can be seen pinning another man against a pillar (MarkFusetti/Twitter)

The men were fighting with one pinned against a pillar (MarkFusetti/Twitter)

Retired cop, Sergeant Mark Fusetti, posted on Twitter to say: "These two men are known to Septa (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) police. They are homeless and live in the subways. They’re called, by Septa, destination-less riders. They take the EL & Subway all day and night. They use the trains as toilets and beds. This is another crime that could’ve been prevented if Septa didn’t allow them to live in their trains."

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The brawl moved towards the edge of the platform (MarkFusetti/Twitter)

The larger man is pushed away and tumbles over the side of the platform (MarkFusetti/Twitter)

A Septa spokesperson confirmed that the man throwing punches on the Market-Frankford Line station in the video has been taken into custody – but it is still to be revealed whether he will face criminal charges. The horrific incident came following a vow by Philadelphia's new mayor Cherelle Parker to hire 300 more police officers, including community officers, and restore 'constitutional' stop-and-frisk. She also put forth the idea of school being year-round in a bid to cut juvenile delinquency.

The train draws in moments later and the man is killed (MarkFusetti/Twitter)

Parker, a 51-year-old Democrat, was sworn in to become the city's first female leader. The long-serving councilwoman campaigned on a centrist platform of safety, jobs, and city services. She claimed that she will increase the number of police officers on the streets with a focus on community policing – a policy she championed when on the city council.

Police rushed to the scene (NBC Philadelphia)

She said: "Officers are there as guardians and not warriors, getting to know the people they are sworn to protect and serve." The mayor comes into a city previously torn apart by crime but where violent crime is now in decline, with murders down by more than 20 percent year on year, and non-fatal shootings down by 28 percent.

First responders were shocked by the incident at the subway station (NBC Philadelphia)

However, the nation's sixth-most populous city in 2020 and 2021 had the grim reputation as one of America's most dangerous metropolitan areas, with more than 500 murders a year – a significant difference compared to New York, which has five times the population. Yet, despite the relatively welcome statistics on violence, theft in Philadelphia is rocketing, with reported car-jacking up 72 percent. Retail theft is also soaring, and has risen 28 percent in the last year.

Paul Donald