A man was fatally struck by a downtown 6 train at the Astor Place subway station this afternoon while trying to retrieve a dropped item, according to the MTA. This is the second day in a row someone was struck by a train at this station.
The incident happened right as the train was entering the station, according to Kate Falco, a junior at Marymount Manhattan College who was on the train.
“Only the front quarter of the train was to the platform,” Falco recalled. “Suddenly, everyone was thrown off their feet. It was a very sudden and quick stop. Nobody knew what was going on. Then there was an announcement that we had to move up to the front of the train to evacuate.”
Downtown 6 trains skipped the station for several hours while the NYPD closed off the southbound platform for the duration of their investigation of the scene. MTA officials in high-visibility vests directed commuters to nearby stations based on their intended destination. Service resumed with delays at the station at 4:33 p.m., according to the MTA.
The victim was an 80-year-old man, according to a spokesperson for the New York City Police Department.
“I just feel bad for whoever was driving the train,” Falco said.
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