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The man accused of shoving two people onto the subway tracks at an Upper East Side station over the weekend is now in police custody — and one of the victims, an 83-year-old Air Force veteran, is on life support and may not survive, his family says.
The NYPD identified the suspect as Bairon Hernandez, 34, of Brooklyn. He was arrested on March 10 and charged with attempted murder, attempted assault, assault, and reckless endangerment in connection with the attack at the Lexington Avenue–63rd Street station.
Police and U.S. Marshals took Hernandez into custody at around 5 a.m. Tuesday. The arrest came after the NYPD released surveillance images — shared on the department’s Instagram — and offered a $3,500 reward for information. Those images were captured by the younger victim himself, who managed to photograph his attacker while stranded on the tracks.
As East Side Feed reported on Sunday, the incident took place at around 11:30 a.m. on March 8, when a man shoved a 30-year-old and an 83-year-old off the southbound F/Q platform in what police described as an unprovoked attack. Good Samaritans pulled both victims off the tracks before a train arrived.
The older victim has been identified as Richard Williams, a grandfather and Air Force veteran who lives on Roosevelt Island. His eldest daughter, Debbie Williams, spoke to the NY Daily News from his bedside at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell, where he is on life support.
“It doesn’t look good,” she told the paper.
Williams, who recently celebrated his 55th wedding anniversary, had been on his way to do some shopping on the Upper East Side — a routine trip he made regularly, his daughter said. He suffered head injuries when he struck the tracks and has not been able to speak since arriving at the hospital. His family described him as healthy and active before the attack, noting that he had survived both a fire and cancer in recent years.
Williams has three daughters and two granddaughters. His granddaughter, Samantha Loria, told CBS News that the hardest part is knowing she may not be able to have a conversation or embrace him again.
The younger victim, Jhon Rodriguez, was treated and released from the same hospital. He told ABC 7 that he suffered injuries to his head and neck and has since developed a fever. Rodriguez said the two victims did not know each other or their attacker.
According to the NYPD, there have been nine subway push incidents so far this year — up from three at this point last year.
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New Photos in Separate UES Assault
Meanwhile, in a separate case, police have released additional surveillance photos of a suspect wanted for shoving a 65-year-old woman to the ground in front of 150 East 86th Street on the evening of March 3.
As we previously reported, the victim was walking between Lexington and Third avenues at around 6:20 p.m. when an unknown man approached and shoved her, causing her to fall and fracture her wrist. She was transported to Lenox Hill Hospital in stable condition. The suspect fled eastbound on East 86th Street.
Police describe the individual as a male with a dark complexion who was last seen wearing a multicolored jacket, a black hat, and dark-colored pants. The NYPD is asking anyone who recognizes him to come forward. Here are the new photos the NYPD released:
Anyone with relevant information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website or by sending a direct message to @NYPDTips on Twitter. All calls are strictly confidential.
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