A northbound train jumped the tracks while entering a Manhattan subway station after hitting debris thrown onto the tracks prior to the train's arrival, authorities said Sunday.
The front car of an A train came in contact with debris causing one of the train's wheel to leave the track and scrape several columns that separate the north and southbound tracks, New York City Transit Interim President Sarah Feinberg detailed in a statement.
Approximately 134 passengers were aboard the train at the time of the incident, which occurred around 8:15 a.m., the MTA confirmed. At least three of those passengers suffered minor injuries but two declined medical transport, the FDNY said.
Extensive delays rippled throughout the city's trains as the incident and subsequent investigation impacted A, C, D, E and F trains that use the 14th Street station. The MTA says A service is suspended in both directions south of the station and there is no northbound service from Canal Street to Columbus Circle.
The incident sparked a power loss to all four tracks and held a second northbound A train near Penn Station, Feinberg said. Crews were dispatched to help passengers disembark.
Senior officials with the MTA and NYPD tell News 4 a suspect is in custody for allegedly placing an object onto the tracks prior to the train entering the station. Demetrius Harvard has been under investigation previously for placing a sandbag on the tracks at Fulton Street, according to officials.
His latest arrest was on Sept. 5 where he was accused of throwing a metal barricade into an MTA bus window, smashing it.
The incident sparked further concerns about safety in the subways and how Harvard was able to get onto the tracks in the first place.
In the interim, A trains was running along local tracks bypassing the 14th Street stop.
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Full service is expected to resume in time for Monday morning's commute at 5 a.m., the MTA said, but there could be residual delays as transit workers continue to inspect several hundred feet of track and columns for damage.
