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Man Shoved Down Subway Stairs Dies; Suspect in Custody
9 May
Summary
- A 76-year-old man died after being pushed down subway stairs.
- The suspect had a prior encounter with police hours before the incident.
- The fatal shove is being investigated as an unprovoked homicide.
A fatal assault occurred in a New York City subway station when a 76-year-old man was pushed down a flight of stairs. The victim, identified as Ross Falzone, sustained severe injuries including a traumatic brain injury, fractured spine, and fractured rib. He was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital early Friday morning, May 8, 2026.
Tragically, the suspect had been encountered by police hours before the incident. Officers found the man acting erratically outside a precinct and took him for a psychiatric evaluation at Bellevue Hospital, where he was released later that afternoon. Approximately five hours after his release, he allegedly pushed Falzone down the stairs at the 18th Street station.
The attack appeared unprovoked, and police are treating the death as a homicide. Detectives have taken a person of interest, described as a man in his 20s or 30s, into custody. He was apprehended on Friday afternoon at Penn Station. Falzone, a resident of the Upper West Side, was remembered by his sister as a harmless individual.
