Passengers at the subway station located at West 49th Street and 7th Avenue yesterday were shocked when a man pushed another in front of an oncoming train, killing him. The NYPD has released surveillance video of the incident, which shows the emotionally disturbed man shoving Queens father Ki-Suk Han in front of a Q train yesterday afternoon. The story made the cover of today's New York Post. In typical Post fashion, the photo is of Han as the train approaches, with the headline: "THIS MAN IS ABOUT TO DIE."
The photo was taken by freelance photographer R. Umar Abbasi, and many are wondering why he chose to take the photos rather than help Han. Speaking to the Post, Abbasi said, "I just started running, running, hoping that the driver could see my flash. The most painful part was I could see him getting closer to the edge. He was getting so close. And people were running toward him and the train... I didn’t think about [the perp] until after. In that moment, I just wanted to warn the train—to try and save a life."
A doctor also happened to be on the platform at the time of the incident. “There was blood coming out his mouth," said Dr. Laura Kaplan. "We couldn’t do CPR. He wasn’t in the right position. and there was just no way to get him out of there.” The 58-year-old Han was reportedly dragged 10-15 feet by the train. He was pronounced dead at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital.
Police are still searching for the suspect, who some witnesses say was a panhandling and creating a disturbance. One witness claims Han was the aggressor; a bottle of vodka was found on his person by police.
