CHELSEA, Manhattan (WABC) — A man pushed into the path of an oncoming subway in Manhattan narrowly escaped death as the suspect found he could not elude authorities.

A chilling video from Eyewitness News shows a man standing close to the edge of the platform behind a few fare evaders and another man walking up to him on 18th Street just after 1:30 Tuesday afternoon and casually throwing him in front of a 1 train bumps.

First responders walked between the stopped subway cars to rescue the 45-year-old victim and take him to Bellevue Hospital.

Sources tell Eyewitness News that the victim is a New York City resident and is in stable condition but suffered broken ribs and a fractured skull.

Less than an hour after the attack, a suspect was in custody. He was identified as Kamel Hawkins, 23, of Brooklyn.

A witness told Eyewitness News about the violent impact.

“It was absolutely violent, just a full shove towards the man that just pushed him onto the tracks, the man screamed as he fell,” the witness said.

A terrible act, just a few meters away from the witness Andrea, her hands still shaking.

The young beauty professional did not want to be identified, but her eyes filled with tears when she was told that the victim seen here, pushed directly into the path of an oncoming train, survived.

“I don’t know how, this poor man,” Andrea said.

Hawkins was quickly arrested and held on 59th Street, thanks to traffic police officers who were searching for the person in the video. He is charged with attempted murder and felony assault. He was held and Hawkins is due back in court on Monday, January 6th.

According to the NYP, Hawkins has already had nine arrests. On October 12, 2024, he was charged with assault, harassment and weapons possession. In June 2019, he was charged with assault on an NYPD officer, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and disorderly conduct.

“I actually sensed a very strange aura from him, I don’t know if it was the way he dressed. He had a face mask on. “I immediately sat on the bench,” Andrea said.

Andrea ran to call 911. Cameras had already caught the suspect and he was quickly arrested nearby.

I just panicked just telling that story, now I’m just starting to shake,” Andrea said.

Mayor Adams defended his efforts to remove people from the subway system who are sleeping or appear to need psychiatric help. He pointed out that crime in the subway was down in 2024 and has been down overall since 2009, but acknowledges that perception simply doesn’t match reality.

“People don’t want to hear that. They say, ‘Someone just got burned, Eric.’ “When someone is pushed along the tracks to the subway system, people see and feel what they read. So our success is overshadowed,” Adams said.

The cameras that help make arrests also make disturbing crimes more visible to more people.

Police believe the attack was random. They say he didn’t know the victim and didn’t say anything to him before pushing him in front of the train.

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