An 83-year-old man who was pushed onto subway tracks on the Upper East Side earlier this month has died from his injuries, according to police — and his alleged assailant now faces a murder charge.
NYPD officials announced Wednesday that Richard Williams died on March 17, nine days after the March 8 attack where they say he was shoved onto the tracks at the Lexington Avenue–63rd Street station. Police said he lived on Roosevelt Island.
Bairon Hernandez, 34, was arrested on March 10 for what authorities said was an unprovoked attack on Williams and a 30-year-old man, whom the defendant is also accused of pushing onto the tracks at the same station. The younger victim was taken to the hospital in stable condition, police said.
The Manhattan district attorney's office said it is now charging Hernandez with murder for Williams’ death and several counts of assault for the incident. Police said he lives in Sunset Park.
Mitchell Schuman, Hernandez's attorney in the case, declined to comment.
Major transit crime so far in 2026 is at roughly the same level as at this point last year, according to NYPD data. Nearly half of the 486 transit incidents reported through March 22 were grand larcenies, and about a third were felony assaults. According to Vital City, a nonprofit that analyzes public safety and crime trends in New York City, the risk for murder in the subway system is less than one in 100 million rides.
This is a developing story based on preliminary information from police and has been updated with additional details.
