2 unprovoked assaults on New York City subway system this weekend saw victims fall on tracks

By Samantha Beech, Alaa Elassar and Isa Kaufmann-Geballe, CNN

Two New York City subway system riders were knocked onto the train tracks this week in a pair of separate and unprovoked attacks, authorities said.

A man pushed a commuter from the platform onto the tracks in Brooklyn on Friday in an incident that was caught on video, the NYPD said.

The victim was not hit by a train but was physically injured, police said.

The unidentified suspect “intentionally without being provoked charged at a 32-year-old male victim” who was walking by, pushing him on the tracks at the Wyckoff Avenue and Myrtle Avenue subway station around 2.40 p.m., the NYPD said in a statement Saturday.

Police released security footage of the incident.

The NYPD arrested Lamale McRae, 41, in connection with Friday’s incident, the department announced Monday. The NYPD has recommended charges of attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and harassment.

It’s unclear what charges McRae will ultimately face when the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office gets the case. CNN has not been able to identify an attorney for McRae but reached out to The Legal Aid Society to see if they are representing him.

And on Sunday, a 62-year-old man in a Bronx subway station was punched in the back of the head in an unprovoked assault that caused him to fall off the platform and onto the tracks, the NYPD said.

Responding officers immediately helped the victim back up to the platform, police said, and then arrested the alleged assailant — a 21-year-old man from Brooklyn — without incident.

The victim suffered minor injuries to his head, hands and legs, and refused medical attention at the scene, according to an NYPD release.

CNN has reached out to the district attorney’s office for details on what charges are expected in the case.

New York City has been reeling from several high-profile violent crimes in the past few months, including in its subway system, prompting officials to enhance their crime fighting strategies.

As of October 17, crime in the city’s subway system is up more than 41% with 1,813 incidents happening so far this year, up from 1,282 during the same period last year, according to New York Police Department statistics. Nine homicides took place in the city’s subway system so far this year, officials said, and 40% of those responsible for the homicides had a history of mental health issues.

The newest incident comes as New York state and city officials are bolstering their efforts to combat crime and mental illness in New York City’s subway system with an increased police presence and new training for officers on engaging with homeless individuals.

The new initiatives will include a significant investment from the state’s public emergency fund to support a surge of roughly 1,200 additional overtime officer shifts on subway platforms and trains each day. However, officials did not say how much money the city will receive as part of the investment.

The transit authority will also employ unarmed security guards at turnstiles to increase security presence and deter fare evasion, Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a news conference Saturday.

Transit police officers will be deployed at four major commuter railroad hubs, including Penn Station, Grand Central Station, Atlantic Terminal, and Sutphin-Archer (Jamaica) Station, which will free up roughly 100 NYPD officers for deployments at other transit locations, according to a joint news release.

In September, Hochul announced an initiative to install two cameras in every subway car by 2024 to strengthen security coverage. The city has already installed more than 200 cameras across the system and is set to install an additional 100 cameras in the coming days, the governor said.

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CNN’s Liam Reilly contributed to this alert