[UPDATE BELOW]A 72-year-old man is fighting for his life today after being pushed onto subway tracks at a platform in Harlem yesterday, officials say, and the man they suspect of pushing him is now in custody.
According to authorities, the unidentified victim was standing with his wife at the northbound A platform on 145th Street and St. Nicholas Ave at around 4:30 p.m. yesterday. A law enforcement official told the Post that a man "with a full head of white hair and a white beard"—who is reportedly homeless and may have been drunk at the time—pushed the victim onto the tracks, causing him to suffer a broken collar bone. broken skull and fall into a coma.
The man was rescued from the tracks by commuters, taken to St. Luke's Hospital and is listed in critical condition. The NYPD says the 57-year-old suspect is in custody with charges pending; according to the Post, the suspect told cops he was rushing to change trains because he thought he was in the wrong station, and that the victim just fell onto the tracks but was not pushed.
Update 4:00 p.m.: The NYPD tells us that 57-year-old Rudralall Baldeo has been charged with one count of attempted murder and one count of felony assault. They have also confirmed that Baldeo is homeless.
