NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A turnstile jumper pushed a 70-year-old subway station attendant onto the tracks on Christmas Eve, leaving him with a fractured spine and cuts, according to a report.
Attendant Kumar Narinder was inside the Nassau Avenue G train station in Brooklyn around 2 a.m. on Dec. 24 when he spotted 27-year-old Jhonathan Martinez inside the station, despite the fact that it was closed at the time, the New York Post reported, citing a complaint filed in Brooklyn criminal court.
When Narinder asked Martinez to leave the station, the 27-year-old told Narinder he had COVID-19, threatened to pass the virus along to him and shoved him onto the tracks, the outlet reported.
Narinder, who suffered a fractured spine and cuts to his knees and forehead, landed "inches from the third rail," he said in a statement his union, Transport Workers Union Local 100, provided to the outlet.
Martinez has been charged with first-degree attempted assault and theft of services, the outlet reported. He is currently being held on $50,000 bail and could face up to 15 years in prison, according to the outlet.
In a statement provided to the Post, MTA spokesperson Abbey Collins said the agency has "zero tolerance for these heinous attacks on our heroic workers."
"We are grateful Mr. Narinder is alive, and we wish him a smooth and speedy recovery," she added.
