Suspect in deadly NYC subway push implicates self
NEW YORK (AP) — Authorities said a suspect implicated himself Tuesday in the death of a New Yorker who was pushed onto the tracks and photographed just before a train hit him — an image that drew virulent criticism after it appeared on the front page of the New York Post.
Investigators recovered security video showing a man fitting the description of the suspect working with street vendors near Rockefeller Center, said New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne.
"The individual we talked to made statements implicating himself in the incident," Browne said.
Witnesses told investigators they saw the suspect talking to himself Monday afternoon before he approached Ki-Suck Han at the Times Square station, got into an altercation with him and pushed him into the train's path.
Police took the man into custody Tuesday, but no charges are expected to be announced until Wednesday, Browne said.
Han, 58, of Queens, died shortly after being struck. Police said he tried to climb a few feet to safety but got trapped between the train and the platform's edge.
The Post published a photo on its front page Tuesday of Han with his head turned toward the train, his arms reaching up but unable to climb off the tracks in time. It was shot by freelance photographer R. Umar Abbasi, who was waiting to catch a train as the situation unfolded.
Abbasi said in an audio clip on the Post's website that he used the flash on his camera to try to warn the train driver that someone was on the tracks. He said he wasn't strong enough to lift Han.
"I wanted to help the man, but I couldn't figure out how to help," Abbasi said. "It all happened so fast."
Emotional questions arose Tuesday over the published photograph of the helpless man standing before the oncoming train accompanied by the headline that read in part: "This man is about to die."
The moral issue among professional photojournalists in such situations is "to document or to assist," said Kenny Irby, an expert in the ethics of visual journalism at the Poynter Institute, a Florida-based nonprofit journalism school.
Other media outlets chimed in on the controversy, many questioning why the photograph had been taken and published.
"I'm sorry. Somebody's on the tracks. That's not going to help," said Al Roker on NBC's "Today" show as the photo was displayed.
CNN's Soledad O'Brien tweeted: "I think it's terribly disturbing — imagine if that were your father or brother." Larry King reached out to followers on Twitter to ask: "Did the (at)nypost go too far?"
The Post declined to share the photo with The Associated Press for distribution.
Subway pushes are feared but fairly unusual. Among the more high-profile cases was the January 1999 death of Kendra Webdale, who was shoved to her death by a former mental patient.
After that, the Legislature passed Kendra's Law, which lets mental health authorities supervise patients who live outside institutions to make sure they are taking their medications and aren't a threat to safety.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday that he believed that "in this case, it appeared to be a psychiatric problem."
The mayor said Han, "if I understand it, tried to break up a fight or something and paid for it with his life."
Investigators recovered security video showing a man fitting the description of the suspect working with street vendors near Rockefeller Center, said New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne.
"The individual we talked to made statements implicating himself in the incident," Browne said.
Witnesses told investigators they saw the suspect talking to himself Monday afternoon before he approached Ki-Suck Han at the Times Square station, got into an altercation with him and pushed him into the train's path.
Police took the man into custody Tuesday, but no charges are expected to be announced until Wednesday, Browne said.
Han, 58, of Queens, died shortly after being struck. Police said he tried to climb a few feet to safety but got trapped between the train and the platform's edge.
The Post published a photo on its front page Tuesday of Han with his head turned toward the train, his arms reaching up but unable to climb off the tracks in time. It was shot by freelance photographer R. Umar Abbasi, who was waiting to catch a train as the situation unfolded.
Abbasi said in an audio clip on the Post's website that he used the flash on his camera to try to warn the train driver that someone was on the tracks. He said he wasn't strong enough to lift Han.
"I wanted to help the man, but I couldn't figure out how to help," Abbasi said. "It all happened so fast."
Emotional questions arose Tuesday over the published photograph of the helpless man standing before the oncoming train accompanied by the headline that read in part: "This man is about to die."
The moral issue among professional photojournalists in such situations is "to document or to assist," said Kenny Irby, an expert in the ethics of visual journalism at the Poynter Institute, a Florida-based nonprofit journalism school.
Other media outlets chimed in on the controversy, many questioning why the photograph had been taken and published.
"I'm sorry. Somebody's on the tracks. That's not going to help," said Al Roker on NBC's "Today" show as the photo was displayed.
CNN's Soledad O'Brien tweeted: "I think it's terribly disturbing — imagine if that were your father or brother." Larry King reached out to followers on Twitter to ask: "Did the (at)nypost go too far?"
The Post declined to share the photo with The Associated Press for distribution.
Subway pushes are feared but fairly unusual. Among the more high-profile cases was the January 1999 death of Kendra Webdale, who was shoved to her death by a former mental patient.
After that, the Legislature passed Kendra's Law, which lets mental health authorities supervise patients who live outside institutions to make sure they are taking their medications and aren't a threat to safety.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday that he believed that "in this case, it appeared to be a psychiatric problem."
The mayor said Han, "if I understand it, tried to break up a fight or something and paid for it with his life."
Trains can be slowed to crawl before getting to on ramp where ppl congregate. why is this not standard procedures? maybe takes a few seconds more per train to incorporate but so what.Â
In watching the video, I kept thinking someone would run to the side and at the very least attempt to verbally encourage the guy to get up and come to the side. Sometimes it just takes one person to help for the rest to follow. Guess that wasn't the case for New Yorkers on this day, for this man. =(
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The photographer? POS. He never even attempted a shout out to the guy or anyone else. They all just waited to see if anyone would do anything.
And why was there no one trying to pull him up off the tracks????
I've always understood that there's a crawl space under the platform to squeeze into if you fall on the tracks? Disturbing photo - there must have been several people nearby who could have helped, not just this worthless photographer.
 @WTFWTF ~  Re crawl space... impossible to tell just from this photo... but that's an interesting point...  I wonder if it really does exist...  You'd certainly think that if they design a track like this - where there's no protective rail at all to prevent someone from falling (or getting pushed) down onto the tracks - there would ALSO be a space built into it at the side that a person could crawl into if they couldn't get up off the tracks in time.
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I can understand how something like this would happen very quickly...but it sure seems that the photographer, in the time it took to get his camera, focus it, and take the picture, could have done more to help Mr Han... Â perhaps, had one of the other bystanders also helped, between the 2 of them, they could have pulled Mr Han to safety. Â Â Very sad on all levels...
"It was shot by freelance photographer R. Umar Abbasi, who was waiting to catch a train as the situation unfolded" That photographer needs to be in jail too!!!
Why doesn't the rocket scientist and know-it-all mayor Bloomberg have the MTA put up railings on the side of the platform that would at least slow down a push or fall toward the tracks? It would be a far more productive thing to work to eliminate future occurrences of the problem vs. inferring details of a perp's mental state.Â
Oh, forgot to add.. Sounds like Abbasi (the photographer) not only got his photo published, but even got his 15 minutes of fame too. Â IMHO, his time would have been better spent helping the guy get off the tracks.
Just my personal opinion - but the the "Moral Argument about documenting or assisting" is a $*@*!@ coward's excuse. That photographer was able to see what was happening and in my strong opinion...should have been in motion before the "dilema" occurred to him. Hey should have been reaching for this man's hands instead of his camera.
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The photographer may not have been fast enough, strong enough, smart enough etc...but he damn well should have tried and failing to do so...should now be tried for "criminal inaction". (I doubt there is such a charge).
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I agree with Kachina...this man, this person (someone's son, father, bff, husband etc) died in PUBLIC and no one helped. Shameful and demoralizing....
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Finally...I HOPE this photographer is shunned for his extreme lack of humanity. I HOPE that the stalwart, socially responsible editors who normally buy images from this photographer refuse to do so moving forward. To do so might encourage other's to avoid their moral duties. I hope this photographer's significant other can clearly see that he/she may not be so significant if crisis comes and this photographer is in a position to help. I HOPE that the backlash and public outcry is so severe that other amateur and professional photographers consider the moral dilema and make a conscious decision to do the right thing if faced with a similar situation.
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This photographers name should be published so the world can exact its own natural punishment for his sickening combination of cowardice and selfishness.
To Mr Han's family and friends...my deepest sympathies and condolences. Please don't loose your faith in human kind.
I went to the NY Post website and saw the photo. It is very disturbing that someone would pause to take pictures rather than use every last ounce of strength to try and save this man. The photographer said that he/she could not lift the man and couldn't figure out how to help, so instead took pictures. Wow. Unbelievable. This man spent his last moments in terror, and no one helped.Â
 @Kachina that's usually how it happens
 @Kachina ~  Yes, I find that very disturbing, too, Kachina...Â
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RIP, Mr Han...