Man Thought He Was Going to Die After Being Shoved in Front of NYC Subway Train: Felt 'Head Smack' on Tracks and 'Ribs Crack'

Mar. 15, 2025

Joe Lynskey.Photo:Dave Kotinsky/Getty

Dave Kotinsky/Getty

A man who miraculously survived after beingpushed in front of a New York City subway trainis speaking out.

On the afternoon of Dec. 31, 2024, Joe Lynskey, 45, was on his way home to Brooklyn to get ready for aWicked-themed New Year’s Eve party, when he was pushed in front of an oncoming train at the 18th Street station in Chelsea, per U.K. newspaperThe Times.

The victim told the outlet of the incident, “I felt the hardest shove and I was flying through the air. I saw the two lights of the subway train and I could see the shape of the train operator. I had one thought when I was in the air: ‘I’ve been pushed and I’m gonna die.’ ”

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office confirmed Kamel Hawkins, 23, had been indicted on Jan. 22, 2025. The suspect is facing charges of attempted murder in the second degree, attempted assault in the first degree and assault in the second degree, per anews release.

A photo of the 18th Street station in Chelsea, New York City.Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty

Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty

According to theAssociated Press, the suspect has pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder and assault charges.

“At approximately 1:33 p.m. [local time], as the train was entering the station, Hawkins approached him and, unprovoked, shoved him onto the tracks, causing several injuries, including multiple broken ribs, a fractured skull, and a ruptured spleen. The man was transported to Bellevue Hospital,” the DA’s Office said in the release.

Lynskey spent five days in intensive care in the hospital, before heading home to continue therapy seven days after the attack, perThe Times. He had the support of his family and friends, with his sisters Kathleen and Elizabeth flying in from Florida.

Kamel Hawkins.LiveNOW from FOX/YouTube

LiveNOW from FOX/YouTube

Lynskey said it was “very surreal” seeing clips online of the attack while he was in hospital. “It came up on my TikTok feed immediately and I saw myself standing on the platform, and it was very surreal," he toldThe Times. “It just happens so fast, and you think that I must be dead.”

“I felt my head smack onto the tracks. I felt my ribs crack. And I opened my eyes and I was underneath the train,” he recalled, per the outlet. “It was the fraction of a millisecond and I would have been dead or paralyzed.”

The Timesreported that if Lynskey or his clothes had touched the third rail, which runs outside the track and electrifies the subway, chances are he would’ve been electrocuted.

“I’ve lived in New York for 25 years and when you ride the train long enough you know what the third rail is and how dangerous it is,” Lynskey toldThe Times. “I knew not to move, I knew not to kick, I knew not to struggle.”

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Firefighters risked their lives after making the decision to try and get the victim out without shutting the railway’s power off, which could have taken 15 minutes, per the outlet. They arrived in four minutes, but Lynskey said “It felt like an eternity.”

“It’s dirty, it’s dark, it’s terrifying, it’s wet. I was in a pool of my own blood because I fractured my skull,” he told the publication, adding that while “underneath that train” he knew his “life was going to change forever.”

As for his attitude moving forward, Lynskey previously toldABC News, “My whole life has changed. Yes. It’s a powerful reminder that this can all be taken away from you at any moment and you have to keep going. Life is too short. And I’m going to keep going, absolutely.”

AGoFundMepage set up to support Lynskey — who performs as a DJ under the stage name Joe Usher, perThe New York Times— amid his road to recovery had raised almost $190,500 as of Tuesday, Feb. 4.

source: people.com