Police presence in the New York Subway – Photo: Andrés Correa Guatarasma / Courtesy
Heriberto Quintana, a 48-year-old Mexican immigrant, was identified as the victim who died yesterday after being thrown onto the New York subway tracks in Queens during a fight with another man.
This was informed by the Consul of Mexico in New York, Jorge Islas López, in a message to his community published this afternoon on the official Twitter account of that institution.
“We have already made contact with the family members. We have expressed our feelings and our condolences. But we are also offering all consular assistance in the case so that the family receives the maximum possible help and, number two, that the perpetrator, who, by the way, is already in custody, is brought to justice,” said Consul Islas López.
Mensaje a la comunidad pic.twitter.com/IaRVIQVWTt
— Consulado General de México en Nueva York (@ConsulMexNuy) October 18, 2022
Carlos Garcia (50) was arrested yesterday. Today, after his crime, he was charged with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly pushing Quintana into an oncoming subway train during an argument over a dropped cell phone.
The incident happened on the F train platform at the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av station around 4:45 p.m. Apparently, when Quintana accidentally collided with Garcia, the suspect’s phone fell onto the tracks, leading to an argument.
MTA surveillance video captured the two men fighting on the crowded platform before Quintana fell onto the tracks and was hit by an oncoming train, police said.
Station cops captured Garcia after horrified witnesses pointed him out as the man Quintana was fighting with. He was questioned overnight before being charged with involuntary manslaughter today.
More news on Hispanics in New York:
- New York authorities fatally shoot Hispanic man who allegedly refused to drop his gun
- A woman was dramatically robbed when she was trapped behind bars entering the New York Subway; a Hispanic was arrested in Queens.
- A deadly fight between Hispanics: young man shot to death on the street of Harlem, New York
Two Metro cars passed over Quintana before the engineer was able to stop the train, police said. Firefighters and emergency medical technicians gave him CPR but could not save him.
His death became the ninth homicide in 2022 on New York transit in a particularly violent year. Five of them have happened in recent weeks.
This year, public officials have repeatedly promised to flood subway platforms and cars with police officers under former NYPD Mayor Eric Adams’ safety plan, which seeks to reduce violence by cracking down on homelessness: last February, 350 people were found to be “living” on the subway.
Despite the announced efforts, overall serious crime on the subways is up 42% this year compared to the same period in 2021, and the number of homicides this year already exceeds the eight recorded last year.