Brooklyn woman arrested after pushing tourists to subway tracks

August 5, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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LOWER EAST SIDE — A BROOKLYN WOMAN, whom authorities described as “emotionally disturbed,” pushed two Mexican tourists onto the tracks at the Delancey St.-Essex St. station in the Lower East Side Monday morning, reports the Daily News. Police arrested Ebony Butts, 42, after she was witnessed shoving the two women to the tracks. Fellow commuters witnessing the incident helped the victims, 27 and 28, back onto the platform. Police who were already on patrol at that station quickly arrested the woman, who was taken to Bellevue for evaluation and then charged with reckless endangerment and misdemeanor assault. The victims, treated at Bellevue, sustained minor injuries. At the time of the attack, no trains were entering the station. MTA Chair Janno Lieber, in a statement later Monday, said, “I am thrilled that these cops were there right away. That’s the key…The suspect “was a person who apparently is very emotionally disturbed, [and] has real serious mental health issues.”

Lieber added that commuters can expect to see more of the static yellow platform barriers the MTA began testing earlier this year, for which Gov. Hochul has expanded funding.

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