Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
L Train Murder: Fatal Fight At Bedford Station As Man Is Killed By Train
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 24, 2012
Modified Mar 27, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 24, 2012
Modified Mar 27, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Last night, a fight between two men spilled from the L train, onto the Bedford Avenue platform, and then onto the subway tracks. What started as a verbal altercation on the train, eventually escalated and resulted in both men falling onto the tracks—while one managed to get out, the other was hit and crushed by a Manhattan-bound train. The victim, Joshua Basin, 20 of Howard Beach, was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital, while the other man, described as a white male between 30 and 35 years old, fled. [Update] Police released a sketch of the suspect.
According to police, they received 911 calls around 10 p.m. and say that the man who fled was the one who started the physical altercation as the pair were leaving the train. The NYPD says this a homicide and they're looking for the suspect, who is described as being a white male, between 30 and 35 years old, with a thin build, light complexion, dirty blond hair with pock marks on the right side of his face.
Numerous people saw the incident. A witness told the Daily News, "Two guys were fighting on the tracks. One of them got trapped between the platform and the train... I had a sickening feeling. He was still breathing heavy and trapped from the waist down. He seemed like he was in shock."
Just witnessed the most horrifying scene at the Bedford L. Guys got in a fight, pushed in tracks. Train came. Holy shit.
— Jena Steinbach (@JenaSteinbach) March 24, 2012
The killing also caused the Manhattan-bound L train to be stopped.
There was an incident on the L train at Bedford. All I can hear are the screams and people running and frightened by the sight. Oh god
— Social Bee(@NYsocialbee) March 24, 2012
Photograph people waiting for the Bedford station to be reopened by @roadify
I used to think the L train was the greatest. This year it def has been the most SHADY of all trains on nights n weekends
— J.L. Dub (@DaJuiceShaker) March 24, 2012
Tagged
bedford avenue
fatally struck
joshua basin
l train
l train murder
murder
subway
train
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .