A woman is reportedly in custody in connection with the death of a man who was struck by an oncoming NYC subway.
By NBC News staff and wire services
NEW YORK?? A 31-year-old Bronx woman was charged Saturday with second-degree murder as a hate crime in the death of a man who was shoved in front of a speeding subway train, New York City authorities said.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown identified the woman as Erika Menendez, 31. He said in a statement that she was awaiting arraignment in Queens Criminal Court.
Sunando Sen, a 46-year-old Queens resident who was born in India and ran a printing shop, died Thursday night when a woman who had been muttering to herself on a train platform in Queens suddenly knocked him on the tracks as a train entered the station.
Brown's statement said that Menendez admitted pushing Sen and said she "pushed a Muslim" onto the tracks because she hated Hindus and Muslims ever since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. ?
Brown also said:
"The defendant is accused of committing what is every subway?commuter's worst nightmare - being suddenly and senselessly pushed into the path of an oncoming train.?The victim was allegedly shoved from behind and had no chance to defend himself. Beyond that, the?hateful remarks allegedly made by the defendant and which precipitated the defendant's actions can never?be tolerated by a civilized society."
The woman fled after the attack Thursday. Police released security camera video showing her running from the station.
The attack was the second time this month that someone was pushed to their death in a New York City subway station. A homeless man was arrested in early December and accused of shoving a man in front of a train in Times Square. He is awaiting trial, and claimed he acted in self-defense.
Further details on how police managed to identify the suspect in Sen's death were not immediately available.
Investigators had been following up on tips from people who had seen the security video and were checking homeless shelters and psychiatric units in an attempt to identify the woman.
It was unclear whether she had any connection to Sen. Witnesses told police the two hadn't interacted on the platform as they both waited for the train.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
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