Witness to fatal NYC subway shove says deranged career criminal ‘timed it perfectly’ and pushed ‘with all his might’

Max Rivera, Nolan Hicks, Jorge Fitz-Gibbon
·3 min read

The deranged man who allegedly shoved a straphanger to his death “timed it perfectly” with an oncoming train — and “pushed with all his might,” a witness to the terrifying, random attack said Tuesday.

Carlton McPherson, 24, got off an uptown train at the East 125th Street and Lexington Avenue station Monday and stood on the platform for just a matter of minutes before allegedly lunging at his victim, according to the witness and a source familiar with the case.

“He like timed it perfectly,” witness Andriel Recio, 28, told The Post.

An eyewitness to Monday’s fatal shove at an East Harlem subway station said accused killer Carlton McPherson lay in wait until a train was pulling in — then pulled off the fatal shove.
An eyewitness to Monday’s fatal shove at an East Harlem subway station said accused killer Carlton McPherson lay in wait until a train was pulling in — then pulled off the fatal shove.

“He was walking… scoping out the area, looking back and forth everywhere,” Recio recalled. “And as the train was approaching, he just snuck behind the guy and just cocked back and pushed him with, like, all his might.

“The guy just like, flew onto the tracks,” Recio said of the victim.

McPherson — who has a history of mental illness and past arrests — was arrested at the East Harlem station for allegedly pushing 54-year-old Bronx resident Jason Volz into the path of the northbound No. 4 train just before 7 p.m.

He was awaiting arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court on a murder charge Tuesday.

Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday that there were six NYPD cops at the station at the time — but none of them were able to do anything to stop the sudden and unpredictable attack.

The deranged shover waited just a few minutes on the platform until the next train arrived, according to Recio and the source familiar with the case.

“He was visibly upset,” the witness said. “He was holding his pants up. As if like, you know, how guys are about to fight. Like just holding his stance up and just scoping out the area just looking side to side.”

Police said Jason Volz, 54, was waiting for the train when Carlton McPherson allegedly pushed into the train’s path, killing him at an East Harlem station on Monday evening. William Miller
Police said Jason Volz, 54, was waiting for the train when Carlton McPherson allegedly pushed into the train’s path, killing him at an East Harlem station on Monday evening. William Miller

He then knocked Volz onto the tracks with no apparent warning, and the victim was hit by the oncoming train in a matter of seconds.

“He cocked back and pushed him with all his might,” Recio recalled.

“It was literally just at random,” he added.

“Seeing that firsthand was like, legitimately crazy.”

McPherson’s brother told The Post that his family had been trying to get help for their troubled kin but was turned away at every turn despite his spiraling behavior.

Records show McPherson had eight arrests — four of them later sealed.

An eyewitness to Monday’s fatal subway shove in East Harlem recounted the horrific assault on Tuesday. William Miller
An eyewitness to Monday’s fatal subway shove in East Harlem recounted the horrific assault on Tuesday. William Miller

Recio said he was unable to sleep after he witnessed the horrific attack — and that he’ll opt for buses or cabs in future.

“And, you know, it didn’t really look like he was troubled or anything out of the ordinary,” Recio said. “He just looked angry, like a regular angry kid.”

Additional reporting by Joe Marino