He usually keeps his head on a swivel when he’s riding the subway — but New York City’s latest random subway shove victim allowed himself to be distracted by the MTA’s Holiday Nostalgia Train.
The next thing the 72-year-old victim knew he was bleeding on the train tracks at Manhattan’s 34th Street Herald Square stop, pushed from behind on Sunday by a deranged man who nearly killed him.
Now the victim’s plans to travel abroad with his family for Christmas are dashed as he recovers in the hospital from a fractured spine and other painful injuries.
“My guard was down. It usually is not.” said the victim, a retired Local One stagehand who did not want to be named.
“I’ve been in New York for 50 years. I’ve seen a lot of bad stuff. I’m very street savvy. But in that unique situation of being so excited because of the holiday train I was not aware of my surroundings.”
His attacker has not been caught.
The victim, who lives in Greenwich Village, said he rode the historic train from W. 4th St. to Herald Square around noon, admiring the vintage clothing some passengers were wearing, and enjoying the cheerful crowd.
The vintage eight-car train takes riders back in time aboard R-1/9 cars that haven’t been in service since 1977. They were first introduced in the 1930s
“I was using my phone to record the train pulling out,” he said. “The next thing I knew, I was looking at the track and there was blood splattered on the track.”
He said it took him a few moments to get his bearings straight.
“It was terrifying. It was surreal to realize where I was,” he said.
He said the next moments were “sensory overload.”
“I kind of realized where I was and that it was my blood and I was in pain,” he said. “There was a lot of commotion and a lot of noise.”
The train had just pulled out of the station and was about 20 feet away when he was shoved.
“Thank God there wasn’t another train coming in,” the man said. “I did have that thought when I was down there.”
And it terrified him because he couldn’t get up.
He said several people jumped on the tracks to his rescue and pulled him up, including an off-duty EMT who just happened to be on the platform.
“She really was fabulous,” the victim said. “She just took control of the situation and it was very calming for me. She was actually one of the people that carried me to the ambulance.”
The man was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he is being treated for a cut to his head and fractures in his left foot, right hand, left upper rib and several is his spine, which may need surgery to insert some screws and a bar.
“I’m in a body brace to stabilize my spine and I’m in pain,” he said, his voice breaking. “I’ve been really emotional. It comes up in waves. It overwhelms me at times.”
The ordeal has forced him to put off a holiday trip he was planning to Portugal with his wife, daughter and son.
“Unfortunately, my family Christmas plans are now ruined,” he said. ”And now I don’t know about the scheduling of the surgery and how I’ll recover from that.”
He said his daughter and son will come to New York City to be with him for the holiday instead.
“We’ve got to regroup and stay positive and get through this,” he said. “I hope to be home and we’ll celebrate by just being together. Not only because of the ruined Christmastime but I also feel depressed because of the condition of our society, that mankind can be so cruel.
“At the same time, I’m trying to hold on to the positive experiences,” he added, noting the people who helped him off the tracks.
“I’m just grateful for the people that came to my side and the EMTs and the transit police.”
The victim said the assailant didn’t say a word to him and that he didn’t even see the man who shoved him. He heard from bystanders that his attacker had shoved another person before him but that person did not fall onto the tracks.
“I’m assuming he has a mental illness,” said the victim of his attacker. “He is obviously a damaged individual who did a lot of harm to me and my family.”
He said he has tried to forgive his attacker but admitted he is struggling with it.
“I even said to my wife and a nurse I’m not angry at this guy,” he said, “I have compassion for him. But as more and more information came to me about my condition I got more and more angry.”
Mostly he is just thankful to be alive.
“It’s awful that things like this can happen and there are so many reasons why it happens,” the victim said, mentioning homelessness and mental illness. “It’s such a difficult reality to find a solution to.”
