New York subway murder: Man dies after being pushed in front of NYC subway train by 'mumbling' woman - the second such incident in a month

Murder took place at about 8pm last night at the 40th Street station in Queens

A man waits for the subway at the Times Square stop in New York (REUTERS/Andrew Burton)

A man has died after being pushed in front of a New York City subway train, the second such death in a month.

The incident took place at about 8pm last night at the 40th Street station in Queens, with the victim still unidentified due to his “terrible” injuries.

New York’s Police Department today released CCTV showing a female suspect running from the elevated platform in the Queens section of New York City.

Witnesses say the woman got up from a nearby bench and began closely following the man while mumbling to herself.

They added that she waited until the last minute, with the train already pulling into the station, before shoving the man to his death.

The victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was hit by the first carriage of an 11-car northbound train, before getting stuck beneath the wheels of the second carriage.

New York Police Department chief spokesman Paul Browne said the man suffered “terrible” injuries which were hampering attempts to identify or even provide a description of the man.

As of 11:30pm last night, his body was still on the tracks. Officers from the Emergency Services Unit planned to lift the train carriage using specialised inflatable bags to recover his remains.

The suspect is described as Hispanic, in her 20s, heavyset and about 5ft 5 inches tall. She is said to have been wearing a blue, white and grey ski jacket and grey and red Nike trainers.

It was unclear if the man and the woman knew each other or if anyone tried to help the man before he was struck and killed.

His death follows a similar incident on the New York subway on December 3 when Ki-Suck Han was pushed in front of a train in Times Square.

A photograph of him taken seconds before the train hit him was published on the cover of the New York Post, causing an uproar.

A homeless man, 30-year-old Naeem Davis, was charged with murder. He has pleaded not guilty and has said that Han had attacked him first. The two men had allegedly not met before.

New York’s subway carries more than 5.2 million passengers on an average weekday but deaths are rare.