Suspect in NYC subway shoving charged with attempted murder

The NYPD released footage of the unprovoked attack.

October 25, 2022, 4:15 PM

A suspect has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly shoving a man onto the subway tracks in New York City last week.

Lamale McRae, 41, of Brooklyn, was arrested on Monday in Queens in connection with what police said was an unprovoked attack Friday afternoon at the Wyckoff Avenue and Myrtle Avenue subway station.

McRae was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on charges including attempted murder in the second degree and attempted assault in the first degree, both felonies.

He was also charged with endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly pushing an 8-year-old boy to the ground as he fled the scene, causing abrasions to the child's knee, according to the complaint.

McRae was remanded into custody and his next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 14, court records show. ABC News did not immediately receive a response to an email seeking comment from his attorney.

PHOTO: Police said they have arrested and charged a suspect for shoving a stranger onto subway tracks in Brooklyn on Oct. 21, 2022.
Police said they have arrested and charged a suspect for shoving a stranger onto subway tracks in Brooklyn on Oct. 21, 2022.
NYPD

McRae was arrested days after the New York City Police Department released footage of the incident, while calling on the public's help to find the suspect.

Police said a man "intentionally without being provoked charged" at the 32-year-old victim, shoving him onto the tracks, before fleeing.

McRae was arrested with help from tips by the public, police said.

The victim sustained injuries in the attack from the fall but was not hit by a train, police said.

He was treated at a local hospital for a broken collarbone and a sprained shoulder, among other injuries, according to the complaint. He has since been released.

"In the blink of an eye, I was pushed with full force into the train tracks," the victim, David Martin, said in an interview with ABC New York station WABC.

"Mentally I don't know how to even get through this," he told the station.

Martin, a native New Yorker who was on his way to work when he was attacked, said he always felt safe taking the train. "Now at 32 years old, I no longer feel safe and that's not fair, and that's not OK," he told WABC.

On Saturday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said they plan to add more officers at subway stations, among other measures, to address transit crime.

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