WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, Manhattan (PIX11) – A homeless man admitted why he pushed a woman into a moving subway train in New York City on Monday.
Markeese Brazelis, 26, allegedly pushed a 23-year-old woman into a moving A train at the 175th Street subway station in Washington Heights in Manhattan around 9 a.m., according to the NYPD.
The victim was on the northbound platform when Brazelis allegedly pushed her as the train entered the station, police said. The woman hit the train and fell backward onto the platform, according to sources.
The woman suffered bruising to her face, hands, knees and shoulder, sources said. A friend of the victim told PIX11 News that the woman is doing OK.
The victim told PIX11 News she was pushed out of nowhere. She said it’s been one of the worst days of her life.
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Witnesses photographed the suspect, and he was later taken into custody at the 181st Street station, police said. Brazelis was charged with assault and reckless endangerment, police said.
Brazelis was surrounded by news reporters when he was escorted by NYPD officers and put in the back of a police vehicle Monday evening. When asked by PIX11 News why he would push someone into a subway train, Brazelis said he was hearing “voices.”
Brazelis has been arrested two times before, once charged with sexual abuse, court records show. Brazelis allegedly grabbed a woman’s buttocks on a C train, sources told PIX11 News. Brazelis was also charged with trespassing after allegedly walking on the subway tracks, sources said.
“It’s beyond comprehension how this menace can be arrested two different times last week only to be turned loose to cause more mayhem. When will the courthouses get the message? This can’t continue,” MTA Chief Security Officer Michael Kemper said in a statement.
To receive free mental health support and crisis counseling in New York City, you can call 988 or talk online at 988lifeline.org. 988 counselors are available 24/7. Behavioral health professionals can connect you to the services you need.
Finn Hoogensen is a digital journalist who has covered local news for more than six years. He has been with PIX11 News since 2022. See more of his work here.
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