Train shaver homeless

A MAN who was mocked online after he was recorded shaving at his seat on a commuter train headed out of New York City said he was just trying to clean up after days spent in a homeless shelter.

Anthony Torres (pictured), 56, told The Associated Press that the people judging him on social media don’t know the struggle he’s been through in his life. “My life is all screwed up. That’s the reason I was shaving on the train,” he said.

A fellow passenger on a Thursday evening New Jersey Transit train took video of Mr Torres, sitting in his seat, steadily swiping away at his lathered face and tossing the shaving cream from the razor on to the floor. The video, posted on Twitter, had 2.4 million views by late Monday.

The selfgrooming earned its share of negative comments on the internet, with insults like “slob”, “animal” and “nasty.” Others humorously lauded his steady hand with a razor.

The truth, Mr Torres said, is that the video captured him at a vulnerable moment. He had been homeless and staying in a shelter in New York City. He’d reached out to his family for help. A brother gave him money for a train ticket, but he’d left the shelter before having a chance to clean up and wanted to look “presentable”.