Conductor Hit Brakes Feet From Asian Man Pushed On Tracks: Report

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — After an Asian man was pushed in front of an oncoming F train on Monday morning, a subway conductor helped save his life by successfully stopping the train 30 feet short of a fatal collision, reported the NY Post.

Tobin Madathil, a subway operator of two years who talked with The Post, was pulling into the 21st Street-Queensbridge station around 7:45 a.m. when a 35-year-old man was pushed onto the train tracks in an unprovoked attack that’s now being investigated as a hate crime.

“Right when I was coming into the station people were waving at me, and that’s when I immediately placed the train into emergency mode,” Madathil told The Post, adding “I just try to stay focused at all times when I operate, just watch the tracks and platform.”

After stopping his subway, Madathil went to check on the man, who had been pulled off the tracks by people in the station.

“He was bleeding from the head,” said Madathil, confirming police reports that the man was taken to Mt. Sinai-Queens to receive medical help for a cut on his forehead.

The attack comes amid an increase in reported anti-Asian violence during the pandemic, which is likely even higher than reported numbers, since anti-Asian hate crimes remain vastly underreported, including in New York City.

On Monday both Governor Andrew Cuomo and City Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer, who represents District 26 where the attack took place, spoke out in solidarity with the AAPI community.

Van Bramer Tweeted that everyone has a responsibility to keep the AAPI community “safe and inoculate the broader society against the hateful lies that put them in harm's way,” adding "Queens is home to the largest Asian population in the city, and we are a better borough because of it.”

Governor Cuomo said he was "disgusted" to learn about the attack and that "hate and violence have no place in New York - period."

The attack also coincides with ongoing debates about subway safety — among which the Governor has been vocal in his calls to add more cops to the subway.

Several high-profile subway assaults ultimately prompted Mayor Bill de Blasio to add 250 more NYPD officers to the subway, despite the fact that major crimes are actually down 59 percent in the subways.

The person who shoved the man onto the subway track on Monday has still not been identified, and the NYPD asked that anyone with information about the incident in Long Island City call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) or submit a tip online or on Twitter.