Kamel Hawkins is the 23-year-old Brooklyn man charged in the New Year’s Eve 2024 Manhattan subway shove, accused of pushing a stranger onto the tracks in front of an oncoming 1 train at the 18th Street station in Chelsea. He was indicted on attempted murder and assault charges in January 2025, pleaded not guilty, and is being held without bail.1Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Man Indicted for Shoving Man Onto Tracks of Oncoming Train at Subway Station in Chelsea2NY1. Man Pleads Not Guilty to Attempted Murder in Chelsea Subway Shove
What Happened at the 18th Street Station
Around 1:30 p.m. on December 31, 2024, Joseph Lynskey, 45, was waiting on the downtown platform of the 18th Street station. Prosecutors say Hawkins walked past him, doubled back, and shoved him onto the tracks as a train pulled in. MTA security cameras captured the push, and the footage later spread widely online.1Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Man Indicted for Shoving Man Onto Tracks of Oncoming Train at Subway Station in Chelsea3NY1. Man Charged With Attempted Murder in Subway Shove
Lynskey was struck by the train. He avoided the electrified third rail and stayed on the tracks screaming for help until two firefighters pulled him up through the gap between subway cars about four minutes later.4ABC News. Subway Shove Survivor Recounts Near-Death Experience
Who Kamel Hawkins Is
Hawkins, then 23 and living in Brooklyn, was arrested later the same day at the 59th Street–Columbus Circle station. According to prosecutors, he was still wearing the black ski mask, sweatshirt, and jacket seen in the platform video.1Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Man Indicted for Shoving Man Onto Tracks of Oncoming Train at Subway Station in Chelsea
He was already facing an open Brooklyn case at the time of the subway attack. Reporting on that earlier matter describes accusations that Hawkins had stalked a former acquaintance over several days in October 2024, kicking her door, sending threatening and sexual messages, and throwing bleach at the victim and a friend, followed by throwing a canned drink at her on October 19. He was arrested that day and released without bail the next. The Brooklyn case had been routed to a youth court, where he qualified for a young-adult diversion program, and the charges were still pending when the subway attack occurred roughly two months later.5Yahoo News. Woman Stalked by Last Lunatic Subway Shover
The Charges and the Criminal Case
On January 22, 2025, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced a grand jury indictment against Hawkins on three counts in New York State Supreme Court:1Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Man Indicted for Shoving Man Onto Tracks of Oncoming Train at Subway Station in Chelsea
- Attempted murder in the second degree, a class B felony
- Attempted assault in the first degree, a class C felony
- Assault in the second degree, a class D felony
Bragg called the attack “a brutal and unprovoked act of violence committed in our transit system on New Year’s Eve.”1Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Man Indicted for Shoving Man Onto Tracks of Oncoming Train at Subway Station in Chelsea Hawkins pleaded not guilty at arraignment and was ordered held without bail.2NY1. Man Pleads Not Guilty to Attempted Murder in Chelsea Subway Shove A February 2026 report noted that he still faces a pending criminal trial on the attempted murder count.6New York Post. Survivor of Subway Shove Sues MTA for Safety Fails
How the Victim Survived
Lynskey was taken to Bellevue Hospital with a fractured skull, four broken ribs, and a ruptured spleen. He spent five days in intensive care and was discharged seven days after the attack.4ABC News. Subway Shove Survivor Recounts Near-Death Experience By April 2025 he described himself as about 80 percent physically recovered, had returned to tennis, and was in trauma therapy for anxiety and flashbacks.7Outsports. New York Subway Joseph Lynskey Recovery He told reporters, “This city is my home, and I won’t be intimidated.”8NBC New York. Subway Shove Victim Speaks Out
The Lawsuit Against the MTA and New York City
In February 2026, Lynskey filed a civil suit in Manhattan Supreme Court against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the City of New York, alleging negligence, gross negligence, and reckless conduct.9New York Times. Joseph Lynskey NYC Subway Shove Lawsuit The complaint alleges the MTA had known for 15 to 20 years, from its own internal data, about the risk of riders being pushed onto the tracks and had ignored recommendations from its own engineers to install platform barriers. It calls the waist-high fixed barriers recently installed at some stations a “cheaper solution” rather than an effective fix, and seeks unspecified monetary damages.10Yahoo News. Miracle Survivor of Subway Shove Sues
The MTA declined to comment on the lawsuit. It has previously said that full-sized platform doors are “physically unfeasible” at most stations.6New York Post. Survivor of Subway Shove Sues MTA for Safety Fails Both the criminal prosecution of Hawkins and Lynskey’s civil case remain pending.