Heriberto Quintana: Man, 48, fatally shoved in front of Queens subway train after brawl with another rider
QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY: A 48-year-old man was fatally shoved in front of a Queens subway train on October 17 after a scuffle with another passenger. The incident occurred around 4.45 pm during the rush hour on the platform at the Roosevelt Avenue-Jackson Heights 74th Street station, said reports.
Heriberto Quintana reportedly bumped into another passenger, aged 50, on the platform and the latter's cellphone was knocked on to the tracks. The 50-year-old asked Quintana to retrieve his phone from the tracks and a fight ensued after he refused to do so, as per reports. The victim was then pushed on to the tracks in front of an approaching F train headed toward Jamaica. Heriberto was still alive after the incident, according to an MTA employee. The worker said, “He was alive when I saw him, breathing and everything.” Quintana was then rushed to Elmhurst Hospital and later declared dead.
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“I heard a loud argument, an altercation. It was two Spanish guys — older, like in their 50s,” New York Post quoted an MTA station cleaner as saying. “You could hear them yelling on the mezzanine level. Then I heard screams and ran down to the platform.”
According to the MTA employee, other subway users who observed the awful act attempted to apprehend the culprit, but he managed to flee and board another train. The culprit was then captured by police and taken into custody, said the report. As of Monday night, he had not been put on trial for any offenses. Massive delays were caused by the incident on the E/F/M/R lines coming into and leaving Queens, and Long Island Rail Road honored MetroCard holders in both directions to reduce congestion.
The fatal shove would be the ninth murder on the city's subway system this year, smashing 2021's record of eight killings, which stood for 25 years, according to NY Post. “It’s sad this is the new normal,” said the station cleaner, who has worked for the MTA for 15 years. “I’ve worked down here half my life. If it’s not a subway surfer, it’s a fight; if it’s not a fight, it’s a stabbing or a shooting.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m scared but I’m concerned,” the station cleaner told NY Post. “I’m concerned about my own safety as an MTA employee.” He claimed that given the rise in violence, he is concerned about working in the metro system. “I’m scared to ride the subway right now,” said Charlton D’souza, Queens Village resident and president of the transit advocacy group Passengers United. D'souza, 45, claimed that he had personally experienced three distinct subway assaults. “No one should be dying on the subway, period,” he said. “This could have been anyone.”