NYC Subway Pusher Manhunt After Horrific Platform Murder

A NYC subway pusher whose horrifying actions led to the death of a Queens man on a subway platform yesterday is currently the subject of a manhunt in New York as an image of the victim’s death draws worldwide attention following its controversial appearance on the cover of the New York Post.

The NYC subway pusher’s shocking actions were caught on CCTV as well as by a freelance photographer who has since come under fire for capturing the moment on camera rather than helping 58-year-old Ki-Suck Han as he lay on the tracks of the R train at the 49th Street station.

R. Umar Abbasi, who snapped the photo, denies ignoring the man’s desperate attempts to escape the path of the oncoming train.

As we reported earlier, the man who caught the macabre image of the NYC subway pusher incident says that his intent was not to photograph the crime but rather use his camera flash to alert the train’s driver to Han’s life-threatening predicament. Abbasi explains:

“There was a huge gasp from all the spectators … I just started running, running, hoping that the driver could see my flash.”

While police undertake efforts to locate the NYC subway pusher (who is seen in CCTV footage arguing with Han before the incident), they also warn the man may be mentally ill or unstable.

The NYC subway pusher murder calls to mind two similar deaths in the late 90s in which mentally ill or unmedicated individuals pushed victims in front of oncoming subway trains.

Those deaths prompted the passage of Kendra’s Law, named for 1999 subway pushing victim Kendra Webdale.