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Man Accused Of Pushing Woman Into Side Of Moving ‘R’ Train

Straphangers Subdue Suspect, Who Offers Baffling Explanation

August 13, 2010 11:50 PM
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New York City Subways

New York City Subway (credit: CBS)

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NEW YORK (CBS 2) – This one fits nicely into the “you gotta be kidding me” category — even for New York City.

An evening commute turned into a near death experience for a Manhattan woman. Witnesses said they saw a crazed straphanger push her into the side of a moving train. The attack has some train riders on alert.

An “R” train barreling into a Midtown subway station nearly killed 39-year-old Manhattanite Ute Linhart. But she didn’t fall in front of the train. She was pushed.

“It’s scary. It really is,” one rider told CBS 2’s Hazel Sanchez.

Linhart was standing on the 28th Street subway platform when she said a suspicious looking man came creeping up on her. Linhart told police when the train pulled into the station the man pushed her into the oncoming train.

The impact sent Linhart flying back onto the platform. She suffered broken ribs, a broken left shoulder and left arm and a crushed sinus cavity.

One witness snapped a picture of the man she said is the alleged attacker Jose Rojas.

Straphangers kept the 25-year-old suspect up against a wall so he couldn’t get away. Prosecutors said Rojas admitted he pushed Linhart and told witnesses “I don’t know why I pushed her.”

“There’s no going around stopping or preventing an assault like that from happening because it’s just inevitable,” said Bedford Stuyvesant resident Peter Macintosh.

When asked if she ever thinks about things like this happening to her while she’s standing on a subway platform, Dianna Marino of Astoria told CBS 2: “That somebody might push me into the train? No.”

But some subway riders told us this week’s unprovoked assault has them thinking about what they’ll do now to protect themselves.

“I have to be aware of my surroundings at all times. If not then something like that will occur,” said Yonira Couvertier of Queens.

“When someone looks a little suspicious I will shout and scream and say police,” added Mary Mejia of Queens.

“I keep away from the train. When it comes in I’m always back,” another rider told CBS 2.

Linhart is being treated at Bellevue Hospital, where she reportedly said she’ll never take the subway again.

Rojas has been charged with second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault, and is being held without bail.

View Comments
  • james

    that guy was just pushing people into the train that other American’s don’t want to push into the train.

  • http://peopletomorrow.com/2010/08/14/man-accused-of-pushing-woman-into-side-of-moving-train/ People Tomorrow » Blog Archive » Man Accused Of Pushing Woman Into Side Of Moving Train

    [...] This one fits nicely into the “you gotta be kidding me” category — even for New York City. An evening commute turned into a near death experience for a Manhattan woman. Witnesses said they saw a crazed straphanger push her into the side of a moving train. The attack has some train riders on alert. An “R” train barreling into a Midtown subway station nearly killed 39-year-old Manhattanite Ute Linhart. But she didn’t fall in front of the train. She was pushed. “It’s scary. It really is,” one rider told CBS 2’s Hazel Sanchez. Linhart was standing on the 28th Street subway platform when she said a suspicious looking man came creeping up on her. Linhart told police when the train pulled into the station the man pushed her into the oncoming train. The impact sent Linhart flying back onto the platform. She suffered broken ribs, a broken left shoulder and left arm and a crushed sinus cavity. One witness snapped a picture of the man she said is the alleged attacker Read ahead [...]

  • marty1234

    i blame bush….

  • DigitalBob

    Is he an illegal alien?

    • marty1234

      i believe bush is an american citizen…

  • whatever227

    Forget race, anyone who pushes someone in front of a train shouldn’t be walking out of the subway.

  • http://www.talkdrudge.com/2010/08/14/berserk-man-accused-of-shoving-woman-into-nyc-subway-train/ Berserk: Man accused of shoving woman into NYC subway train…

    [...] Statistics Follow the original link Last Updated: August 14, 2010 0 Comments [...]

  • Den

    Great another illegal Mexican contributing great things for America

    Sure glad we have open borders so we can have even more of these people come give us some excitement

  • Alex

    Shouldn’t there be hate crime charges? Oh, that’s right, White people are officially second class citizens and not fully protected by the law….
    Imagine if the races were reversed.

  • frankie

    The way things are going the woman victim will be accused of “racism” and charged with a hate crime for blocking the passage of Rojas.

  • Charlie

    George Bush made him do it

  • John Smith

    Bet this is another Mexican National (Illegal Alien) who should not be in Our Country.

  • http://thedailyconservative.net/2010/08/13/man-accused-of-going-berserk-on-nyc-subway-platform-pushing-woman-into-side-of-moving-train/ Man Accused Of Going Berserk On NYC Subway Platform, Pushing Woman Into Side Of Moving Train… | The Daily Conservative

    [...] column, 2nd story, link) Related stories: 5 Women Bound And Robbed In Manhattan [...]

  • Cris

    This would be avoided completely if the U.S. would follow in China’s footsteps and install plastic barrier windows between the platform and the tracks. It’s a simple concept that will not cost all that much and will save lives.

    • Howabout That

      Trust me in China, Roja would have been NO-MA. His body would have been disgarded in a remote place, after the firing squad.. no questions asked.

    • James

      I’ve suggested the same thing as well, as I found such a barrier to be great ever since I experienced the one they have installed for the train at Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport.

      On a side note, I’ve always known since I was a kid to never stand near the edge of the platform. I always figured this was common sense, but the apparent number of individuals lacking such this day-and-age is astonishing. It reminds me of the parents I saw at the Grand Canyon years ago, who allowed for their child to freely swing from a tree limb right on a rocky outcropping at the rim (Which dropped a mile deep no less)! I knew it was only a matter of time before someone actually died doing something recklessly similar to that, and sure enough, fatalities from such behavior have occurred multiple times since then.

  • http://www.talkdrudge.com/2010/08/13/berserk-man-accused-of-shoving-woman-into-nyc-subway-train/ Berserk: Man accused of shoving woman into NYC subway train…

    [...] Statistics Follow the original link Last Updated: August 13, 2010 0 Comments [...]

  • Kevin

    Terrible, just terrible – We need to fence off all the train platforms, put rubber around all trains and have gates that open when the train stops. If we can save just one women, it will be worth it:)

  • http://exectweets.com/2010/08/13/21099929407/ Exectweets » oracle_ace at 08/13/10 10:17:46

    [...] Pro Tweets Straphangers – spell check gone whacky! http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2010/08/13/man-doesnt-know-why-he-pushed-woman-in-front-of-subway-car/ oracle_ace – Fri 13 Aug 22:17 Cloud [...]

  • Ron

    This subway assault is the fault of the former Bush Administration

  • http://beta-exectweets.cm.fmpub.net/2010/08/13/21099929407/ Exectweets » oracle_ace at 08/13/10 10:17:46

    [...] Pro Tweets Straphangers – spell check gone whacky! http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2010/08/13/man-doesnt-know-why-he-pushed-woman-in-front-of-subway-car/ oracle_ace – Fri 13 Aug 22:17 All Things [...]

  • azariah

    Obama needs to pack it with mud and cement. Maybe that’ll work.

  • Rebecca from a Gulf State

    President Barack Hussein Obama has ordered a six-month moratorium banning all New York subway travel and national public transit so he can look into the situation.

  • zone

    Feed it to a larger beast that enjoys live prey

  • http://www.talkdrudge.com/2010/08/13/man-accused-of-going-berserk-on-subway-platform-pushing-woman-into-side-of-moving-train/ Man Accused Of Going Berserk On Subway Platform, Pushing Woman Into Side Of Moving Train…

    [...] Statistics Follow the original link Last Updated: August 13, 2010 0 Comments [...]

  • Howabout That

    May Mr. Rojas be pushed into an on-coming train and turned into Fertilizer for ALL to SEE. Go-Green and Fight Crime at the same time. If this happened in any other country in the world, he would have been shot in the head and his family charged the $1 for the bullet.

  • Atalludumfks

    The devil made him do it! Geesh! God couldn’t stop someone hurting an innocent bystander!

  • Lou B

    Don’t stand too close to the edge of the platform, people!

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