Man fatally pushed onto East Harlem subway tracks identified
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EAST HARLEM, Manhattan (PIX11) — A man who was killed after he was pushed onto subway tracks in East Harlem was identified Tuesday afternoon.
Carlton Mcpherson, 24, allegedly pushed Jason Volz, 54, onto the tracks as a northbound No. 4 train approached the station on Monday, according to police.
“You had a lunatic on the subway and it ended tragically for my nephew,” the victim’s uncle, Eddie Volz, told PIX11 News on Tuesday.
Volz said his nephew had recently turned his life around after struggling with addiction. He said he was a compassionate person.
“As far as I knew him, his whole life, that would be his top quality. He always cared more about others than he did for himself,” he said.
Court records show Mcpherson had been arrested at least twice before for assault — once in 2016 and again last year. Officials said Mcpherson also struggles with mental health issues.
Police said the attack was unprovoked. According to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, six police officers were in the station at the time.
“Bad guys no longer fear the police. They feel emboldened to do whatever they want,” Adams said.
The incident happened hours after the NYPD announced it was flooding an additional 800 officers into the transit system this week to combat fair evasion.
Jonathan Rizk is a digital journalist who has covered local news in the New York City and Washington D.C. areas. He has been with PIX11 since August 2022. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.
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