A man died after a New York City subway passenger strangled him for about 15 minutes following an altercation on a train, according to police and a witness.
The incident, captured in part on cellphone video, occurred around 2:27 p.m. Monday on a northbound F train.
The 30-year-old man was found unconscious when officers arrived at the Broadway and East Houston Street subway station and took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the New York police said in a statement Wednesday.
The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said the deceased man died of «neck compression (strangulation)» and that the manner was a homicide.
Manhattan Borough President mark levine identified the man as Jordan Neely, a subway busker who performed dance routines dressed as Michael Jackson.
“Our broken mental health system failed him,” Levine said. «He deserved help, not suffocating to death on the subway floor.»
The 24-year-old cyclist was detained for questioning and later released, police said. He has not been publicly identified.
No charges have been filed, but the Manhattan district attorney’s office said he is under investigation.
«As part of our rigorous ongoing investigation, we will review the medical examiner’s report, evaluate all available video and photographs, identify and interview as many witnesses as possible, and obtain additional medical records,» the prosecutor’s office spokesperson said. Doug Cohen, in a statement. .
Juan Alberto Vázquez, who was on the subway, said NBC New York that the 30-year-old man was being aggressive.
“The man got on the subway car and began to make a somewhat aggressive speech, saying that he was hungry, that he was thirsty, that he didn’t care about anything, that he didn’t care about going to jail, that he didn’t care that he received a big chain. life,» Vázquez told the Spanish-language station. «That ‘it doesn’t even matter if I died.'»
Vázquez caught part of the incident on camera. The video, obtained by NBC New York, shows the 24-year-old on the ground who appeared to be holding the man in a chokehold as two other subway passengers helped hold him down.
Vázquez said the strangulation lasted about 15 minutes. He told the station that no one thought the man would die even after he went limp.
Authorities have not released many details. A police spokesman said officers were called to the station after receiving a 911 call about a physical fight.
«Further investigation revealed that the 30-year-old man was involved in a verbal dispute with the 24-year-old man and it escalated into a physical altercation,» the spokesperson said in a phone call. «During the physical struggle between the two men, the 30-year-old man lost consciousness.»
The Manhattan police department and district attorney’s office said the investigation is ongoing. The medical examiner’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Brittany Kubicko and alec hernandez contributed.