Manhattan victim in subway shoving suffered a broken skull and other injuries

NEW YORK – A man who was shoved off a Manhattan subway platform and into the path of a fast-moving train not only survived, but was also able to speak to his family from his hospital bed.

The man, Mr Joseph Lynskey, 45, suffered serious injuries: a ruptured spleen, four broken ribs and a fractured skull, according to court records filed on Jan 1. And then, of course, there is what his sister called the “emotional trauma”.

“Our main priority right now – our sole priority right now – is supporting our brother Joe,” his sister Eileen Parsons said in a phone interview. “We are so grateful that he is alive.”

His survival was a matter of centimetres. Mr Lynskey was struck by the train but not head-on, according to two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the matter. He also fell next to the train, not under it, apparently saving his life, officials added.

Kamel Hawkins, the person accused of attacking Mr Lynskey on Dec 31, was charged with attempted murder in the second degree and four counts of assault, according to a criminal complaint filed by Manhattan prosecutors.

The 23-year-old was arraigned in the Manhattan criminal court on the morning of Jan 1, a spokesperson for the district attorney said. A judge ordered that Hawkins be held in jail until his next court date on Jan 6.

Mr Lynskey, a DJ who performs under the name Joe Usher, is also the head of content and music programming at Gray V, a company that creates background music and playlists for hotels, restaurants, gyms and retail businesses.

According to his online bio, he was born and raised in Miami, where he began “honing his sound” during the 1990s in the South Beach and Design District areas.

“After a move to Manhattan, he began an eclectic journey through some of New York’s best underground clubs,” Mr Lynskey’s bio reads. He produced soundtracks for fashion houses’ runway shows and provided music for events held by major companies and at clubs across the US, and in Brazil and Costa Rica.

His online profile shows an active life, including playing tennis and hiking, attending cultural events and spending time with nieces, nephews and his dachshund, Leo. In a social media post, Mr Lynskey named singer Madonna and New York City “two of the biggest loves in life”. He recently moved into a new apartment in Brooklyn.

Surveillance video of the attack shows Mr Lynskey in a light orange jacket standing near the edge of the southbound platform at the 18th Street station in Chelsea. He appears to be looking down at his phone when a man in a dark coat passes behind him.

The man in the dark coat doubles back and violently shoves him off the platform just as the train passes through.

Hours later, on social media, Mayor Eric Adams called the incident an “appalling act of violence” that “has absolutely no place on our subway system”.

“Random acts of violence like this contribute to New Yorkers feeling unsettled,” he added.

Hawkins had a string of arrests for assault, harassment and weapons possession, according to police and court records. He has an open case in the Brooklyn criminal court, where he is facing harassment and assault charges for throwing bleach on a woman and trying to kick down her door, according to a criminal complaint.

His father, Mr Shamel Spencer, 40, who lives with Hawkins in an apartment in Brooklyn, said in an interview on Jan 1 that he was stunned by the accusations against his son.

Mr Spencer, who went to court on Jan 1 to see his child, acknowledged that Hawkins had run-ins with the law. Still, he said, he would never have expected his son to be accused of such a violent act.

“He’s not a bad kid at all,” said Mr Spencer, who spoke sombrely in the doorway of their home.

Hawkins works for a moving company and is “usually focused and work-driven”. But in recent weeks, Mr Spencer said he had become increasingly worried about his son’s mental health. He said Hawkins often smokes marijuana, and he wondered whether it had affected his ability to reason.

Mr Spencer said he had been seeking help for his son. “I just know right now he’s not himself.”

Surviving a shove off a New York City subway platform as a train arrives is rare. The last known person to live through a similar attack was a 42-year-old woman who was pushed at the Times Square station in 2021. She walked away with a fractured chin, a broken arm and a broken nose. The woman who shoved her was sentenced to 12 years in prison in August.

City Council member Erik Bottcher, who represents the district where Mr Lynskey was pushed, said they had mutual friends, but that any New Yorker would feel for him.

“People who see the video say ‘it could have been me’ because what Joe is doing is what nearly every New Yorker does every day: simply waiting for the train.

“Clearly, the person who did this did not intend for him to survive,” Mr Bottcher added.

“It was timed to inflict death. It was calculated and timed so that it would extinguish Joe’s life,” he said, adding that the crime should add urgency to the coming legislative session.

“This is just the latest wake-up call for our leaders about the failures in our mental health and criminal justice systems,” Mr Bottcher said.

“This clearly has to be the focus of the upcoming legislative session in Albany – the systemic failures at the intersection of criminal justice and mental health.” NYTIMES