Book of Sophia

The setting: The 6th car of No. 3 train uptown express, car #1329, Monday night at 8:30. After the train left 14th St. an object suddenly flew across the car and landed in the surprised lap of a man who had been reading an electronic device. It was a book. A Bible, thrown seemingly from nowhere.

People put down their smartphones and removed their headphones and looked up. But there were no explanations. There were some jokes: “Maybe they thought you needed it” and “Is it from a hotel, a Gideon Bible?” As the train moved up the west side, the thrower (who turned out to be a woman in her 20s or 30s) got up and moved to the other end of the train and sat down. The man who caught the Bible leafed through it and placed it on the seat.

As the train zoomed past 66th St., the Bible thrower suddenly cried out and slumped to the floor. She was totally still as passengers leaned over and checked her pulse. Then, her legs started shaking as her shoes fell off.

By this time the train had arrived at 72nd St. The doors opened. Some people left to get on a local train across the platform. One woman said to pull the emergency brake; we said “don’t, let’s tell the conductor” as we held open the door and the Bible catcher went to tell the conductor about the sick passenger.

With car #1329 almost empty, the thrower got up and ran out barefoot, collapsing on the platform. A woman grabbed the thrower’s bag, shoving in her shoes and the Bible. The conductor radioed for help and straphangers called 911 as the thrower was guided to a platform bench.

Then the thrower got up and leapt off the platform to the local track below. She landed on her back, smack between

the two rails, with her head on the cross-tie. With people screaming, some looking away, she sat up and then stood, barefoot. We feared she was heading for the third rail and saw that no train was coming.

Arms were outstretched and two strong men grabbed her and hoisted her up. She was fevered and took off her jean jacket. Now, the group made her sit back on the bench and kept her down. But with still no cops in sight, she was helped up the stairs, with the woman holding the bag following, even as a train supervisor was coming down the steps.

They led her outside, to sit on the sidewalk against the headhouse at 72nd and Broadway as two transit cops arrived. Officer Williams asked “Does anyone have water?” as one woman ran to Duane Reade. Williams saw on her right wrist a plastic hospital patient bracelet. “Sophia,” the cop said, “help is coming.” The woman quickly returned with a bottle of water.

Within moments, police cars, two fire trucks and two ambulances appeared. Sophia, who was apparently discharged earlier that day, was strapped into a stretcher and placed in an ambulance with her bag and jacket.

The two men who lifted her off the tracks were swiped back into the subway by Officer Williams. The ambulance driver said he could say nothing about Sophia. The man who had the Bible thrown at him walked west. The woman who had carried the bag and one who bought the water stood, shaken, and then left.

Thanks to the straphhangers who banded together to help and the professional first responders from the TA, NYPD, Fire and EMS. They all did the right thing, which we can’t say about the hospital that discharged Sophia.