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[Update] 23-Year-Old Man Clipped & Fatally Dragged By "A" Train
By
Ben Yakas
Published Oct 8, 2014
Modified Oct 8, 2014
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Oct 8, 2014
Modified Oct 8, 2014
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Update Below A 23-year-old man was clipped and fatally dragged by a subway train last weekend. According to the Daily News, MTA security cameras captured the man around 1 a.m. at Penn Station last Saturday as he was attempting to urinate on the platform of the northbound A train.
The surveillance video leaked onto Facebook, and the News describes seeing the man losing his footing while walking on a narrow part of the platform, pushing through a "Do Not Enter" swing gate separating the walkway and platform. The man was clipped by the train as it started to leave the station; he fell to the ground and can be seen dragged through the tunnel.
The NYPD told the Post they are investigating who leaked the video online. "Sadly, the video speaks for itself on the inherent dangers associated with unauthorized activity in the subway system" MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said in a statement. "We are also working with the NYPD to investigate who posted this video as there was a clear breach of protocol."
Update: The 23-year-old victim has now been identified as Bronx resident Nyrel Wade, a security guard at the Pratt Institute. "I was so hysterical when I heard about the video,” his grieving mom Sophia Farquharson told the Post. "I don’t want anyone to see it and remember him by it. You don’t want a constant reminder of how your child died."
The Post adds that the Internal Affairs Bureau believes an NYPD officer is responsible for putting the video on Facebook. Wade's mother said she is considering legal action against the city: "I can’t see how someone could be so cruel," said Farquharson. "It should never happened. The man who posted it was taunting and making fun of the event."
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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