Erratic Stranger Pushes Woman Down NY Subway Train Tracks [Video]

A 24-year-old man was arrested after he attacked a woman at a Brooklyn, New York, subway station and pushed her down onto the train tracks this week.

The man, later identified as 24-year-old John Merritt, allegedly started following the victim Wednesday on the northbound 3 and 4 platform at the Utica Avenue-Eastern Parkway station, the New York Post reported, citing police.

"He was acting erratic and started to spit at me," the victim, who asked not to be identified, was quoted as saying by the outlet.

Merritt then allegedly followed the woman when she tried to escape the situation and get onto the train.

"I decided that wasn't the smartest move, to get on the train where authorities cannot get to me and him... So I stayed on the platform and he decided that it was the best idea to spit at me," the victim, who works as an administrative assistant and underwriter, said.

Video footage shot by a bystander showed that the assault intensified after the woman decided to stay on the platform for fear Merritt would follow her onto the train.

"Then he picked up an object... Other people were trying to stop him," the woman claimed. "He grabbed [a] different object and hit me with that."

Footage of the encounter showed the woman swinging a yellow "Wet Floor" sign at Merritt in response to his aggression. The man then shoved the victim toward the tracks, which caused her to fall backward onto the roadbed, according to police and the footage.

The woman was able to get back up onto the platform with the help of a good Samaritan and went after Merritt. She struck Merritt with a broom, which he grabbed from her, according to the video.

Merritt attempted to flee on a train, but police were already on the scene and collared him, the woman said. He was arrested on the scene and charged with assault, menacing and harassment, police said.

The woman was treated by emergency medical personnel present on the scene following the encounter.

"I can’t walk. That’s the biggest injury right now... I have so many bruises on my legs, on my arms," the woman said, adding that she also suffered bruises and a cut on her face.

Despite the injuries, the victim said she was thankful to be alive.

"I'm glad I was able to get pulled out of the train tracks, and before the train came… And I’m glad to be here today," she said.

The next train was reportedly several minutes away when she fell down onto the tracks.