NEW YORK (AP) — A woman sought in the death of an Indian immigrant who was shoved in front of a subway train was picked up by police today after a passer-by noticed her on the street and called authorities.
The woman, whose name was not released, was being questioned and had not been formally charged, New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said. Investigators were arranging for witnesses to identify the 31-year-old woman in custody as the person who pushed Sunano Sen to his death on Thursday night.
The 46-year-old Sen, who was from India, ran a printing shop and was living in the borough of Queens. He died after a woman muttering to herself suddenly lunged forward and pushed him off an elevated platform and onto the tracks of the No. 7 train, which connects Manhattan and Queens.
It was unclear whether the woman had any connection to Sen. Witnesses told police the two hadn’t interacted on the platform as they waited for the train.
The woman fled after the attack. Police released security camera video showing her running from the station. Investigators had been following up on tips from people who had seen the security video and were checking homeless shelters and psychiatric units in an attempt to identify her.
Today, a passer-by noticed a woman who resembled the woman in the video and called police. Police responded and confirmed her identity and took her to a police station, where she made statements implicating herself in the crime, Browne said.
The attack was the second time this month that a man was pushed to his death in a city subway station. A homeless man was arrested in early December and accused of shoving a man in front of a train in Times Square. He claimed he acted in self-defense and is awaiting trial.
