Man is nearly electrocuted by third rail after he is thrown onto the subway tracks during a fight

Man is nearly electrocuted after being thrown onto tracks during fight on the subway and then walking close to 600-volt third rail before quick-thinking conductor cuts the power

  • A fight broke out between two men on Wednesday around 11.30pm at the Bay Ridge-95th St station on the R line
  • The aggressor pushed the other man onto the train tracks and they began fighting in the roadbed
  • The perpetrator climbed back onto the platform while the injured man was walking along the third rail protection board and then laid down in the tracks
  • A conductor activated the emergency box, which cut the 600 volts of power
  • The 29-year-old victim was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition
  • Meanwhile, the aggressor was able to flee the scene before police arrived  

A fight that broke out at a subway station nearly became deadly after the two men fell onto the train tracks, and one came close to touching the third rail.

Police say the brawl occurred on Wednesday around 11.30pm at the Bay Ridge-95th St station on the R line.

The aggressor pushed the other man onto the train tracks and began fighting in the roadbed, said Eric Loegel, vice president of rapid transit operations at New York’s public transit union TWU Local 100.

‘The aggressor climbed back onto the platform and the man who was injured was seen walking on top of the third rail protection board, which sits on top of the third rail to prevent accidental contact,’ he told DailyMail.com. 

‘At some point, he climbed off and laid down next to the third rail.’

A fight broke out between two men on Wednesday around 11.30pm at the Bay Ridge-95th St station on the R line. Pictured: Passers-by hold down the perpetrator

The aggressor pushed the other man onto the train tracks and they began fighting in the roadbed

The aggressor pushed the other man onto the train tracks and they began fighting in the roadbed

Loegel said he was told that the man who laid down may have been intoxicated, but this has not been confirmed by police.

‘That’s when one of our conductors on the scene got onto the racks himself and activated the emergency box, which cut the 600 volts of power,’ he said.  ‘This could have gone from an assault to a fatality.’

The conductor was praised by both his colleagues and strangers, who referred to his actions as ‘heroic’.  

‘His quick thinking and quick action saved that man’s life,’ said Loegel. ‘It almost looked like [the victim] was going to touch [the third rail] and, if he did, there’s no coming back from that.’  

At the time of the incident, the MTA sent out a tweet that read: ‘N and R trains are delayed in both directions because of an unauthorized person on the tracks at Bay Ridge-95 St.’ 

Video released by the NYPD shows the aggressor and the victim arguing before the first man walks away.

The prepetrator climbed back onto the platform while the injured man was walking along the third rail protection board and then laid down in the tracks (pictured). A conductor activated the emergency box, which cut the 600 volts of power

The prepetrator climbed back onto the platform while the injured man was walking along the third rail protection board and then laid down in the tracks (pictured). A conductor activated the emergency box, which cut the 600 volts of power

The 29-year-old victim was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition. Meanwhile, the aggressor was able to flee the scene before police arrived. Pictured: The emergency alarm box seen by the blue light in the subway tunnel

The 29-year-old victim was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition. Meanwhile, the aggressor was able to flee the scene before police arrived. Pictured: The emergency alarm box seen by the blue light in the subway tunnel

He was held down by straphangers, but was able to flee the scene before authorities arrived.

The aggressor is described as a white male with a beard and mustache who was last seen wearing jeans and a dark shirt. 

Meanwhile, police say passers-by helped the victim back onto the platform. The 29-year-old was taken to NYU Langone Brooklyn and police told DailyMail.com he is in stable condition.

However, it is unknown if he has been discharged yet.

Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS or to message them on Twitter. 

Logel said there is an issue on the subway with getting prompt police response and he hopes that this can be improved. 

‘It’s not always the case, and I’m not certain why, but it tends to take a while to get police to respond to a train or station,’ he said.

‘It could be employee assault or passenger who was unruly.’  

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk