‘By the grace of God that she sustained only minor injuries’: Deranged man shoves woman into path of oncoming NYC subway

New York Daily News ^ | Nov 19, 2020 at 3:38 PM | Destinee Evans, Thomas Tracy, Clayton Guse and Larry McShane

[Zhang Fei]

In two terrifying seconds, a Manhattan subway rider’s worst nightmare became a mass transit miracle.

A deranged homeless man with a running start shoved an unsuspecting woman in front of an oncoming subway train Thursday in the Union Square station, with the helpless victim improbably landing in the roadbed between the tracks and emerging intact after two of the 70,000-pound cars passed over her.

Video of the attack shows an unhinged Aditya Vemulapati, 24, pacing up and down the platform, sizing up the victim and then violently pushing the woman from behind with both hands in the instant before a northbound No. 5 train arrived.

The woman goes flying beneath the train, landing in the small space between its rolling wheels, even as an eyewitness covers his eyes and recoils in horror.

This is crazy! All types of lawlessness happens in @NYCTSubway. Passengers nor employees are safe! pic.twitter.com/nwNEcDr8vk — Progressive Action (@progressiveact) November 19, 2020

“It was by the grace of God that she sustained only minor injuries,” NYPD Transit Chief Kathleen O’Reilly told reporters at the station.

“We see him waiting and calculating when the train comes into the station, and at the opportune moment he pushed her to the tracks.”

The 40-year-old woman emerged shaken but generally unscathed after the man attacked her in the Manhattan train hub without uttering a word around 8:45 a.m., cops said.

The victim, treated for a head injury at Bellevue Hospital, returned to her Brooklyn apartment about six hours later, declining to speak and a bit unsteady on her feet.

“This is someone who was minding their business waiting to go to work and then suddenly someone comes out of nowhere and throws them on the tracks,” said New York City Transit interim President Sarah Feinberg. “This city has a mental

[Zhang Fei]

Are NYC's economic shutdowns making people crazy? Yet another data point - Indian-American Wolverine - a typically mild-mannered demographic - shoves woman onto subway tracks.

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  University of Michigan

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[Cronos]

What I find strange is this - I've lived around NYC, visited SF, lived large chunks of my life in SE England (commuting to London), Hong Kong, Singapore and in Warsaw and been on extended visits in Paris, Brussels, Tokyo --> and the USA has hands down the worst homeless insane crisis I've seen.

Even in Mumbai/Bombay - there are tons of homeless people, beggars who crowd around you, but I didn't feel as unsafe as I feel in San Francisco. And I've never heard of anyone pushing people on to train tracks in the other developed countries.

[ETL]

The victim in the attack is transported to the hospital.

[newnhdad]

this guy will be out on the street in time for breakfast on Saturday.

[Texas Fossil]

The city did not immediately provide the numbers it based that assertion on.

They are having to analyze the data?

Is that data stored on a Dominion server? Head Shake.

[kearnyirish2]

Many cities have outlived their usefulness, and NYC is at the top of the list; even as a port it has been replace by Newark/Elizabeth.

Many employers in NYC won’t see their staff returning any time soon - most probably never will. Rents and taxes had made it an unfriendly environment for business, and the idle welfarians with their chaos and crime were the last straw (after the virus itself). They can’t attract businesses, and businesses can’t attract talent, so taxpayers prop up these museums to yesteryear while the residents pass the time unproductively.

[A strike]

At least Aditya Vemulapati was wearing a safety mask.

[COBOL2Java]

Born and raised in NYC, and having spent the majority of my young adult life taking the subway system, I learned to NEVER stand by the edge of the subway platform - I don’t care how crowded it is. Even in the 60s when I rode, there were nutcases (hey, it’s New York).

When I took the Washington DC Metro, I’d shake my head at the morons who stood at the edge waiting for the approaching car.

[ETL]

They may have put that on him as they were arresting him.
But then, it is possible that he was wearing it as he pushed the woman onto the train tracks. This is a very weird and sick place. Lived here all but one of my 63 years.

[HartleyMBaldwin]

I can’t imagine standing at the edge of a subway platform while anyone is behind me. I won’t even stand at a curb with people behind me.

[sauropod]

He has such a nice Amish name.

[A strike]

Hey man(g), (Tony Montoya pronunciation),

That’s Racissssssss !

AMISH LIVES MATTER !!!

[Cronos]

Rents are falling - taxes aren’t.

[kearnyirish2]

Right - but tax RECEIPTS are down, and will continue to do so as the situation worsens. The state and city can’t collect income taxes on people and businesses who aren’t working, so the coffers will be empty.