Police have charged with murder the man they say shoved a stranger into the path of an oncoming East Harlem subway train during a horrific unprovoked attack.
Carlton Mcpherson, 24, is facing murder charges for the Monday evening random attack at the 125th St. No. 4 station.
Mcpherson was on the uptown platform when he allegedly shoved his victim, who is believed to be in his 40s, onto the tracks. A moment later, a No. 4 train rumbled into the station, fatally striking the victim.
The victim’s name has not been released. He died at the scene.
Cops took Mcpherson, who lives in the Bronx, into custody at the station.
Mcpherson has been arrested multiple times and is believed to be emotionally disturbed. In the past, the NYPD has responded to incidents where he was described as unstable and acting erratic, according to police sources.
Last Halloween, he was arrested on assault, menacing, harassment and other charges in Brooklyn. When he was arraigned he was released without bail but was arrested again when he failed to show up to court, according to court documents.
When he was grabbed on the arrest warrant on Nov. 15, he was released without bail again. After he was let go he didn’t return to court, leading a judge to sign off on a second warrant.
He was arrested a third time for the same crime on Jan. 11. This time, $2,000 cash bail was set, which he paid, according to court records.
Mcpherson was expected to return to court on the assault charges in July.
Monday’s attack came as authorities have been struggling to crack down on subway crime.
Eight hundred more police officers are being sent into the subway system to crack down on fare evasion, NYPD brass said earlier Monday — an effort they hope will reduce overall levels of crime in the system.
The 800 uniformed and plainclothes cops conducting fare enforcement operations will join the 1,000 cops added to the system in February following an uptick in pickpocketing and grand larcenies at the start of the year.
With Rocco Parascandola
