19 Jan 2006

Subway Suicide

I turned my head toward the express track just in time to miss seeing a guy jump in front of a C train at the 42nd Street/Port Authority station this afternoon.

At about 1:20pm, I was standing on the southern-most section of the platform with a handful of people, waiting for the A train, and the A arrived a few seconds before the C. As I turned toward the arriving A train, I heard a loud “thwack” behind me. I turned back around, and one of the people on the platform was suddenly missing, and a blood-curdling scream, mixed with the screech of brakes, emanated from beneath the C train as it halted halfway into the station. Other people on the platform, still shocked at what they’d seen, uttered, “There was a guy standing there a second ago!”

I can’t say for sure if it was suicide or an accident, but the platform was uncrowded, and the man hadn’t attracted any attention like a drunk person would, so I’m pretty sure it was an intentional jump. I’m glad I turned toward the express track when I did, because I wouldn’t want to deal with seeing that firsthand nor retelling it to the police.



Comments...

Whoa, that fucked. i haven’t heard from you in 5 years, and that’s the first thing i read. that’s enough to scar you for life.
peace babe.

jill, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada

from JILL 21 jan 2006, 10:38 am

That’s awful.

from Court 26 jan 2006, 10:21 am

I am from Ireland, and to be honest thats completely horrific. And to think of how his family must feel. is very hard to deal with and i would know, there has been one recently in my family.

from emma 17 feb 2006, 2:11 pm


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