Woman pushed to her death in front of New York subway train

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A woman shoved an unsuspecting traveler off a New York City subway platform into the path of an approaching train yesterday afternoon, killing the victim instantly as bystanders watched in horror, police said.

The victim, also a woman, was pushed onto the tracks as a southbound No 1 train pulled into the Times Square station around 1 pm EST (1800 GMT), and she was pronounced dead on the scene shortly afterward. Witnesses immediately alerted police officers, who apprehended the suspect in the station.

Neither the victim nor the suspect was immediately identified by authorities.

“What happened here today is tragic,” Joseph Fox, chief of transit for the New York City Police Department, told reporters at the midtown Manhattan subway station, one of city’s largest and busiest.

The victim was standing on the platform when the suspect, wearing a pink shirt and scarf, lunged at her, police said.