Man Fatally Dragged By 7 Train Into Subway Tunnel At Grand Central
Feb. 20, 2019, 9:11 a.m.
Initial reports indicate that the man's shoulder bag or some part of his clothing got caught on the train as it pulled out of the station, dragging the man into the tunnel.
The 7 train platform at Grand Central.
A 39-year-old man was dragged to his death by a subway train on Tuesday night at the 7 train stop under Grand Central Terminal. Preliminary reports indicate that the man's shoulder bag or some part of his clothing got caught on the train as it pulled out of the station, dragging the man into the tunnel.
According to the NYPD, the unnamed man was killed around 7:20 p.m. after being dragged by a Queens-bound 7 train. Police arriving at the station found the man "unconscious and unresponsive with severe trauma to the body." He was pronounced dead at the scene, and the Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.
This morning, an NYPD spokesperson said the man appeared to be unsteady on his feet, and was walking close to the edge of the platform as the train was pulling out. The spokesperson also confirmed the man did have a shoulder bag, but could not say whether the bag got caught on the train.
Subway rider killed when clothing gets caught on moving train at Grand Central, dragging him underneath, sources say https://t.co/6tLsu6LErA
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) February 20, 2019
One police source told the NY Times that security camera video from within the station "shows the man walking down the stairs onto the platform, and his body is later seen being thrown against a staircase and pulled into the tunnel... The man’s body struck an electrical box near the entrance to the tunnel and set off a flash that caught the attention of the train operators and forced them to stop it."
ABC 7 reports that the platform was "packed with commuters" when the man was dragged.
The MTA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident, which caused "significant delays" on the 7 line in both directions, according to NYC Transit on Twitter.
We have corrected the issue and are moving the train to resume service. Continue to consider alternate service options and expect significant delays in both directions as we work to clear congestion along the line.
— NYCT Subway (@NYCTSubway) February 20, 2019
