Man pushed onto NYC train tracks thanks first responders: ‘I am full of gratitude'

The man who survived being violently pushed onto subway tracks in front of an oncoming train in Chelsea on New Year's Eve thanked the first responders who saved his life in his first message since the terrifying attack.

Joseph Lynskey, 45, is expected to make a full recovery, his family has said, after a stranger pushed him onto the tracks of an approaching 1 train at the West 18th Street station. His injuries included a fractured skull, broken ribs and a ruptured spleen, authorities said.

“Miraculously, he survived the horrific attack, but he suffered many injuries and remains hospitalized in NY,” his sister, Jennifer Lynskey, wrote in a Facebook post right after the attack. “Anyone who's ever met Joe knows he's one of the kindest, most thoughtful, and caring humans out there."

Police said the suspect accused of violently pushing a man onto subway tracks in front of an oncoming train in Chelsea on New Year's Eve has been arrested on an attempted murder charge.

“Joe has a long road ahead of him, both physically and emotionally/mentally,” she continued.

Last week, the 45-year-old shared a message of appreciation to all of the people who have supported him since the Dec. 31 shove.

“A massive thank you to the first responders who saved my life on New Year’s Eve, the bystanders—especially the good Samaritan outside the train who provided comfort—and to the medical teams at Bellevue for their remarkable care in helping me begin my recovery,” Joseph Lynskey said in a message posted to his GoFundMe, which is nearing its goal.

“I am full of gratitude for every single one of you."

Lynskey is head of content and music programming for Gray V, a New York City-based company that creates soundtracks and music playlists for customers, according to his LinkedIn page. He was born and raised in Miami and performs as a DJ known as Joe Usher, his website says.

Surveillance video obtained by NBC New York, which is difficult to watch, appears to show Lynskey checking his phone when he was pushed from the platform by someone wearing a jacket with a hood over his head just moments before the train arrived at the station.

Other videos posted on social media show firefighters going down to the tracks through a gap in between subway cars and pulling a person back up onto the platform.

Authorities did not say how Lynskey escaped with just broken bones. While a direct hit with a train is often fatal, some who fall from New York City’s platforms do manage to survive. Safety experts say if it’s not possible to get back on a platform or outrun a slowing train, lying down in the trough between the tracks may work in some stations, and there might be a space between the train and the platform at some stops.

Kamel Hawkins, 23, was taken into custody later that day. A judge in Manhattan approved a request by prosecutors on Wednesday to detain the Brooklyn resident without bail pending his next court appearance on Monday.

Hawkins already had pending assault and harassment charges in Brooklyn, where he is accused of throwing bleach on a woman and trying to break into her home after threatening her, according to prosecutors.

Hawkins' lawyer in the subway case, Darryl Hairston, did not immediately return a phone message Thursday. His lawyer in the Brooklyn case, Jeremy Gross, said he had no immediate comment.

Hawkins' father, Shamel Spencer, told The New York Times that he's stunned by the allegations. He said Hawkins had some troubles with the law, but he never thought his son would be charged with anything so violent. He also said he had been seeking help for his son because of concerns about his mental health and that he didn't seem like himself in recent weeks.

“He’s not a bad kid at all,” Spencer said.