A man died Monday after he was struck by an oncoming train in New York City’s subway during a fight with another man, police said.
The incident took place at the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue station in Queens during the afternoon rush hour, according to multiple media outlets who spoke with local authorities.
Heriberto Quintana, 48, reportedly bumped into another man in his 50s on the platform, causing the man’s phone to fall onto the tracks. The man began yelling at Quintana to retrieve his phone, and then the two got into a fight.
“I heard a loud argument, an altercation. It was two Spanish guys — older, like in their 50s,” a custodial worker told the New York Post. “You could hear them yelling on the mezzanine level. Then I heard screams and ran down to the platform.”
Police told The New York Times that it wasn’t clear if Quintana was pushed or if he fell onto the tracks during the course of the fight.
The custodial worker told the Post that Quintana was still alive, “breathing and everything,” when he first saw him, but police said that Quintana died while at a nearby hospital receiving treatment.
The other man was taken into custody at the scene, according to multiple outlets.
The death is the subway’s ninth killing this year — breaking last year’s 25-year high of eight homicides on the transit system. Through Oct. 16, a total of 22 people have been shoved onto subway tracks in New York City.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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