Police have identified the woman who was killed when she was pushed Monday in front of an oncoming subway train at the Times Square-42nd Street station.
Connie Watton, 49, of Queens, was pushed onto the tracks as a southbound 1 train approached the station around 1:20 p.m., police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to cops.
Witnesses immediately flagged down two officers who were standing on the platform, said NYPD Chief of Manhattan Detectives William Aubry at Monday news conference.
The suspect, identified as Melanie Liverpool-Turner, was apprehended by Transit Bureau police officers “within a couple of moments,” according to NYPD Transit Chief Joseph Fox.
Liverpool-Turner, 30, of Queens, was taken into custody and brought to the Midtown South Precinct, where she was later charged with second-degree murder, police said.
Whether or not Liverpool-Turner and Watton knew each other before the incident remains under investigation, though police said they exchanged words before the victim was pushed.
“We have a lot of work to do; it’s still preliminary in the investigation,” Aubry added. “We are looking at video now, and we’re trying to capture the perpetrator and also the victim as they’re entering into the train station.”
Larissa Diaz, 25, works at the clothing store across from the entrance to the No. 2 platform and realized something was wrong when she heard yelling.
“There were so many people outside, screaming,” she said. “I didn’t know what was happening. It’s crazy, it’s scary.”
After the incident, there were service changes on the 1, 2 and 3 lines for several hours, the MTA said. All lines resumed normal service around 6:14 p.m.
