The alleged Midtown subway shoving suspect who critically injured a woman on Wednesday is awaiting extradition back to Manhattan following his arrest in New Jersey on Thursday, police reported.
Sabir Jones, 39, was picked up while allegedly panhandling near Newark’s Penn Station, according to published reports. The Newark, NJ Police Department took Jones into custody, and he was brought to a local hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.
Charges are pending against Jones, who was identified as the attacker in the shoving incident that occurred on Oct. 18 at the 5th Avenue-53rd Street station in Midtown.
According to law enforcement sources, the suspect confronted the victim, a 30-year-old woman, as she stood on the southbound E train platform at about 12:04 p.m. Wednesday.
Police said Jones allegedly pushed the woman toward a departing E train, slamming her head into the rear of the train, and sending her tumbling onto the tracks.
“Fortunately there were eyewitness and good samaritans on that platform that helped her up back onto the platform,” NYPD Chief of Transit Michael Kemper said at a press conference hours after the assault.
Law enforcement sources said the woman suffered severe head injuries, and was rushed to Weill Cornell Medical Center in critical condition.
Jones — whom, Kemper noted, was known to the department through prior interactions — was identified as the shover through eyewitness accounts and video surveillance footage obtained from the station.
The incident harkened back to the shocking death of Michelle Go, a straphanger shoved in front of a moving train at the Times Square-42nd Street station in January 2022. An emotionally disturbed man was later apprehended for the murderous assault.
After news broke of Jones’ arrest, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber expressed gratitude that the suspect had been apprehended.
“This was a horrific crime, but I’m gratified that again the always exceptional NYPD police work led to a quick arrest,” Lieber said in a press release.
Transit crimes in the Midtown North Precinct, where Wednesday’s assault occurred, are up slightly year-to-date, according to the most recent CompStat report. The command reported 60 incidents of transit crime through Oct. 15, up 13.2% from the 53 tallied at the same point in 2022.
