An 83-year-old Air Force veteran pushed onto the subway tracks by a stranger at an Upper East Side station in a random act of violence is unlikely to survive, his herabroken daughter told the Daily News Tuesday.
Richard Williams was waiting on the downtown platform for the F and Q trains at the Lexington Avenue-63rd St. station when he was suddenly shoved about 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Moments before, the assailant pushed a 30-year-old man standing next to Williams onto the tracks as well without saying a word, cops said.
“It doesn’t look good,” Williams’ eldest daughter, Debbie Williams, told The News from her father’s bedside at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell. “He is on life support.”
“We’re just going to stay by his bed,” she added. “We’re sitting here with him. We’re praying for him and we love him and we’re going to stay with him.”
The younger victim helped Richard to his feet and straphangers then helped both men back onto the platform before a train came. Their attacker ran off.
Cops and U.S. Marshals arrested a person of interest in the attack around 5 a.m. Tuesday, police sources said.
“I’m thrilled,” Debbie said of the arrest.
Her father hasn’t been able to speak since arriving at the hospital.
Police released images of a man they believe shoved two men onto the subway tracks in unprovoked attacks at the Lexington Avenue-63rd St. subway station in the Upper East Side. (NYPD)
Richard was healthy and active before the attack, his daughter said. He recently celebrated his 55th wedding anniversary and was enjoying living his life after a career making bulletproof equipment.
“He’s an incredible man,” Debbie said. “He likes reading. He likes walking.”
Richard lives on Roosevelt Island and was on his way to go shopping on the Upper East Side “like he always does” when he was attacked, his daughter said.
“Now none of that is probably going to happen again,” she said. “He goes wherever he wants to go. He’s very healthy for an 83 year old man that’s going to be 84. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with him. So for this whole thing to happen, it’s a real sin.”
Richard has three daughters and two granddaughters who are all devastated his time with them might be cut short.
“The hardest part is I can’t have a conversation or hug him again,” granddaughter Samantha Loria told CBS New York. “Any time I visit him, we walk around. We would go to Manhattan. He would always say hi to everyone, ask how they’re dong. It doesn’t hurt anything to be kind.”
“He loves to walk,” she added. “He survived a fire, cancer recently, and all he wanted to do is walk.”
Woman Assaulted In Manhattan Train Station
Lexington Ave. – E. 63rd St. subway station in Manhattan. (Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News)
The other victim, who was treated and released from the same hospital, told ABC 7 New York his head and neck were injured and he developed a fever following the attack.
“I panicked. I started asking for help, not only for me but for the other man that was pushed,” Jhon Rodriguez told the station. “I get panic attacks just thinking about getting (back) on the subway.”
RIchard and Rodriguez do not know each other or their attacker.
The person of interest was caught after cops released images Rodriguez was able to shoot of him from the subway tracks and offered a $3,500 reward for information leading to his capture.
He is currently being questioned and charges are pending.