Man charged in subway shoving had history of mental illness, family says
The man who police said pushed a subway rider in front of an oncoming train in east Harlem on Monday night, killing him, appears to have had a history of committing violent acts against others and struggles with mental illness.
The man, Carlton McPherson, 24, was arrested and charged with murder after pushing another man in front of an oncoming No. 4 train, police said. The man who was killed was identified by two police officials and an internal report as Jason Volz, 54.
It was nearly 7 p.m. when several people standing on the uptown platform at 125th Street and Lexington Avenue saw McPherson walk up to Volz and, seemingly without provocation, push him in front of an oncoming train, according to the internal police report.
Responding officers found Volz underneath the train car with “severe trauma to the body and face,” according to the report. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses pointed out McPherson to officers as he was leaving the scene and he was taken into custody.
Anna Torres, Volz's exwife, said he was recovering from addiction and had just moved into a new apartment and had been sober for two years. He was someone who was “really turning things around,” she said.
“It just seems like such a waste,” Torres said in a phone interview Tuesday. “This is crazy because he survived the pandemic, survived being homeless. He got better, he got clean and everything was working.”
In a brief phone interview, McPherson's mother, Octavia Scouras, said he had been raised by his paternal grandmother from a young age. “I did everything possible so this child would have a better life,” Scouras said.
Scouras, who said she also lived in New York City, said McPherson had been hospitalized at least twice for mental health treatment. Brian Chelcun, a Legal Aid lawyer who represented McPherson in the October case, declined to comment when reached Tuesday.
The attack occurred as a string of violent episodes in the subway system have left some New Yorkers on edge.
Surveys by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the subway, have shown that significant numbers of riders feel unsafe, with many citing fear of crime and erratic behavior. Analysis of crime data from recent years is complicated by changing ridership numbers as the system continues to rebound from the lows of the coronavirus pandemic.
Data from recent years shows that major crime on the subway decreased slightly in 2023 compared with the year before, as ridership rose.