The man pushed into the path of a Manhattan subway train turned out to be a music programmer and curator a day after the near-fatal New Year’s Eve incident.
Joseph Lynskey, 45, a music programmer from New York City, miraculously survived after being abruptly pushed into the path of a speeding southbound train at the 18th Street 1 train station Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, his accused attacker, 23-year-old Kamel Hawkins, watched indifferently as he was arraigned on New Year’s Day for attempted murder and second-degree assault in Manhattan Criminal Court.
Despite suffering serious injuries, including a fractured skull, four broken ribs and a ruptured spleen, Lynskey is expected to make a full recovery.
“Our number one priority right now — our only priority right now — is supporting our brother Joe,” Eileen Parsons, his sister, told The New York Times.
“We’re so grateful he’s alive.”
Lynskey is head of content and music programming at Gray V, a New York company that creates background music and playlists for hotels, restaurants, gyms and retail stores.
Lynskey’s online biography describes him as a native of Miami when he first began “honing his sound” in the 1990s, The Times reported.
The man pushed into the path of a Manhattan subway train on New Year’s Eve has been identified as 45-year-old Joseph Lynskey, a music programmer in New York City
His accused attacker, 23-year-old Kamel Hawkins, looked on indifferently as he was arraigned on New Year’s Day for attempted murder and second-degree assault in Manhattan Criminal Court.
Terrifying surveillance video showed the moment a masked man pushed Lynskey into the back after apparently spotting the approaching train – sending him forcibly onto the tracks just as the train passed
“After moving to Manhattan, he embarked on an eclectic journey through some of New York’s best underground clubs,” according to his biography.
He also produced soundtracks for runway fashion shows and provided music for major corporate events and clubs across the country, as well as in Brazil and Costa Rica.
Just weeks before the horrific attack, Lynskey spoke with BNN Bloomberg about how music shapes audiences’ interactions with luxury brands, especially during the holidays.
He spoke specifically about one of his recent projects, The Times Square Hotel, and how the playlist created for the entrance was “intentionally designed to signal a transition – inviting guests to leave the chaos of Times Square behind.” .
His attack on Tuesday is just the latest in a series of disturbing acts on the New York City subway system.
Terrifying surveillance footage showed Lynskey in a light orange jacket standing at the edge of the platform around 1:30 Tuesday afternoon as the train approached the 18th Street Station in Chelsea.
Within seconds, a masked man was caught walking behind him, and after apparently noticing the approaching train, he turned and pushed Lynskey into the back, sending him violently onto the tracks just as the train passed.
Two young men who seconds earlier jumped the turnstile to avoid paying for their ticket turned and fled after witnessing the shocking scene.
Despite serious injuries, including a fractured skull, four broken ribs and a ruptured spleen, Lynskey miraculously survived and is expected to make a full recovery.
Additional video captured the moments when nearly a dozen firefighters rescued Lynskey from under the train
The footage appeared to show blood on Lynskey’s face before he was taken to hospital in a critical condition – but he is now listed as stable.
Separate footage shared by shocked passengers showed the moments when almost a dozen firefighters rescued Lynskey, who appeared to have blood on his face, from beneath the train.
A law enforcement officer told police New York Post that he survived because “he fell perfectly into the trench,” describing the near miss as an act of God.
Not only was he able to survive the sickening attack, but he was also able to talk to his family from his bed at Bellevue Hospital, where he is now in stable condition.
“He’s good,” Christopher Lynskey, his brother, told the Daily News. “He’s a little beat up, but he’ll make a full recovery.”
Police launched an urgent manhunt for 23-year-old Hawkins, who was taken into custody just hours after the horrific incident and ordered held without bail.
He failed to enter a plea at his arraignment on Wednesday, but will enter a plea in Supreme Court at a later date.
According to the Post, Hawkins also has pending assault cases in court.
He was reportedly charged with assault in June 2019 after attacking a police officer, and on October 12, he was charged with assault, intimidation and possession of a weapon.
Police launched an urgent manhunt for 23-year-old Hawkins, who was taken into custody just hours after the horrific incident and ordered held without bail
Shamel Hawkins, 40, the suspect’s father, acknowledged that his son has had run-ins with the law but that he is a “good boy” who recently began acting strangely — noting that he believes someone did something in stopped his weed
Hawkins, who is being held without bail, did not enter a plea at his arraignment Wednesday but will do so at a later date in Supreme Court.
In addition, he has an open case in Brooklyn District Court on harassment charges for throwing bleach at a woman and trying to kick in her door, the Times reported.
Police said he did not appear to know the victim and described it as a random attack.
Hours after the incident, Mayor Eric Adams took to social media to call the attack “an abhorrent act of violence” that “absolutely has no place in our subway system.”
“Random acts of violence like this contribute to making New Yorkers feel uneasy,” he added.
Shamel Hawkins, 40, his father, who lives with his son in an apartment in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, told the Times he was shocked by the allegations surrounding his son.
He acknowledged his son’s run-ins with police, but said he never expected he would be accused of such a violent act.
“He’s not a bad guy at all,” he told the newspaper, adding that he is “usually focused and work-driven” in his job at a moving company.
The father also told the New York Post on Wednesday that his son was doing well until he recently started acting strangely.
Lynskey’s revealed identity provided further insight into his apparently exciting music life as head of content and music programming at Gray V – a New York company that creates background music and playlists for hotels, restaurants, gyms and retail stores
In his online biography, he is described as being born and raised in Miami before moving to Manhattan to begin an eclectic journey through some of New York’s best underground clubs.
“He’s been going through something lately, some mental issues,” his father said. “We think someone put something in his weed.”
“I just know now that he’s not himself,” he added to the Times.
Tuesday’s incident is expected to put more pressure on officials to put an end to the horror attacks in the metro.
NYPD told DailyMail.com that they have recorded 24 incidents of people being pushed onto subway tracks this year – a 41 percent increase from last year’s total of 17.
On Christmas Eve, two people were injured at Manhattan’s Grand Central Station after a maniac was stabbed.
Sources told DailyMail.com at the time that a 28-year-old man had stabbed two strangers with a knife in the apparently random attack just after 10pm at the busy tourist hotspot.
And just days before that, the Big Apple was stunned when a homeless woman was set on fire and burned while sleeping on a subway train.
The victim was identified by the NYPD on Tuesday as Debrina Kawam, a 61-year-old homeless woman from New Jersey.