A Manhattan subway train was derailed Sunday after a man threw debris onto the tracks. The incident, which disrupted the commutes of hundreds of New Yorkers, resulted in three people suffering minor injuries.
According to official reports, the uptown A train was pulling into 14th Street and Eighth Avenue at around 8 a.m. when it hit debris on the track. This sent the train off the rails and then into the station's steel barriers. The train was carrying 135 passengers.
According to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's senior vice president for subways Frank Jezycki, the train hit at least 10 steel beams before it came to a stop. Huge chunks of metal were peeled off from the front and left side of the cars. The tracks along the station sustained heavy damage - with more than 180 feet of rail torn from the ground.
The derailment resulted in a power outage throughout the A line, too, resulting in another passenger train becoming stranded. Around 125 passengers on that train had to be rescued.
"We've ruled out that this was any malfunction of our equipment or any inappropriate action of our crews," MTA officials said.
New York police arrested a 30-year-old homeless man believed to be suffering from mental illness. The man is currently the main suspect in the derailment. Witnesses told officers they had seen him throw metal plates onto the track. The suspect was first detained by bystanders before being taken into custody by police.
Police said the man was known for trouble making in subways and streets. On Sept. 5 the same man was arrested after he threw a metal bench through a bus window. Authorities haven't said if the man will be charged.
The man reportedly found the plates among construction materials inside the station. MTA said it warned workers not to leave construction materials near the tracks. Of the 135 passengers, three suffered minor injuries only. One was taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment.
The derailment caused "extensive delays" throughout the city's subway system. MTA said it had to cancel at least 56 trains throughout the day while another 28 trains were badly delayed.
