Photo by Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit
On Sunday, Sept. 20, at approximately 8.18 a.m., police responded to a train derailment at 14th Street subway station in Manhattan. An investigation revealed that a man had been seen throwing construction debris onto the northbound A train track, which caused the first car of a subway train to derail upon entering the station.
No injuries were reported by the emergency services at the time of the incident. The New York Times later reported that three people suffered minor injuries.
The A, C, D, E, and F subway line services were impacted as a result of the derailment.
The man was removed to the NYPD Transit District 2 where the investigation continued. Demetrius Harvard, 30, of Mapes Avenue in the Crotona section of the Bronx, was subsequently arrested on charges of reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, assault and criminal trespassing.
An arrest is not proof of a person’s guilt.
.@NYCTSubway is on scene investigating the incident. Full statement from @FeinbergSarah https://t.co/gDZfsoRCcd pic.twitter.com/yHfHhwnDBT
— Abbey Collins (@abbey_e_collins) September 20, 2020
Videos of the derailed subway appeared on social media. New York City Transit Interim President Sarah Feinberg issued the following statement later that day.
“NYPD is actively investigating the incident in which a northbound eight-car 
train came into contact with debris on the tracks at approximately 8:17 a.m. at 14th St. At this time, the cause of the incident appears to be an act of vandalism.
As the train was coming to a stop in the station after striking the debris, the train’s first car scraped four columns that separate the northbound express track from the southbound express track. The 134 passengers on board were safely evacuated from the train. NYC Transit personnel are inspecting the train and the tunnel structure.
The derailment caused third rail power to be cut to a section of the line, causing a second northbound train carrying 125 passengers to remain in the tunnel south of 34th Street. Personnel safely offloaded those customers via a side-to-side transfer to a local train by 9:50 a.m., which carried them safely to 34th St.
New York City Transit personnel will work around the clock to rerail the incident train, inspect several hundred feet of track, columns and third rail for damage and make necessary repairs, with the goal of restoring full service as soon as possible. While work is underway, trains will operate on the line local track from Canal St to 59th St-Columbus Circle and will bypass 14 St in both directions. At this time, it is unclear whether express service will be available for the Monday morning rush. Please check mta.info and the MYmta app for the latest service details.
I want to thank the NYC Transit workforce for their incredible dedication, ongoing hard work and perseverance during this incident, and our customers for their patience.”
On Sept. 23, the MTA honored Rikien Wilder, who they named as, “the good samaritan whose heroic actions led to the arrest of the man charged with causing the derailment of a A train at the 14th Street subway station.” As recognition for his bravery, Wilder received a year of free unlimited subway and bus rides, and an official MTA “NY Tough” t-shirt.
Originally from Red Bank, N.J., Wilder, 44, now lives in Manhattan and according to the MTA, was at the 14 Street subway station on Sunday morning when he saw a man place debris on the tracks. As part of a press release, the MTA said, “finding himself in an extraordinary situation, he [Wilder] climbed down to the tracks to remove some of the debris just before a train passed through the area safely. He [then] went to notify MTA personnel before returning to the platform – where he observed the same man place more debris on the tracks, causing a northbound A train to derail. Wilder then chased down the suspect and held him on the station mezzanine for police.”
All 135 passengers on board the derailed train were safely discharged onto a platform by MTA personnel as NYPD officers placed the suspect under arrest upstairs.
“New Yorkers are known for putting others ahead of themselves, and that’s exactly what Rikien Wilder did,” said Patrick J. Foye, MTA Chairman and CEO. “While we don’t want members of the public placing themselves in danger by jumping onto the tracks, this brave Good Samaritan is a hero three times over – for removing debris, alerting personnel, and making sure the alleged perpetrator could not get away before police arrived. He truly exemplifies the best of New York.”
“Rikien Wilder’s actions to ensure this suspect could not repeat the heinous crime somewhere else likely saved the lives of fellow New Yorkers, something you cannot put a price on,” said Sarah Feinberg, NYC Transit Interim President. “With his birthday coming on October 1, the best way we could think to thank Rikein for his heroism is a year of free unlimited subway and bus rides.”
Following the incident, emergency response crews from NYC Transit worked through the night to repair and replace hundreds of feet of damage to tracks, third rail and pillars, successfully performing the Herculean task of restoring normal service in time for the Monday morning rush.
admin
Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
English
Arabic
Bengali
Chinese (Simplified)
French
Spanish