QUEENS — Queens prosecutors will not pursue assault charges against a homeless man accused of shoving a woman down a flight of subway steps in Forest Hills on Christmas Eve, the borough's District Attorney’s office said Wednesday.
Police arrested Patt Mahony, 40, at the 71 Avenue subway station where the 54-year-old victim was pushed from behind as she was walking down subway stairs around 8:50 a.m.
The woman, who fell down about a dozen steps, fractured an elbow and cut her lip and was taken to Elmhurst Hospital, officials said. According to published reports, she also suffered a fractured spine.
DA spokesman Kevin Ryan said that the DA's office declined to prosecute the case due to a lack of evidence. The victim, Ryan said, did not see who pushed her and was not able to identify the assailant.
Ryan said that an eyewitness told a train conductor that Mahony was responsible. But the conductor, who later spoke to police officers, didn't see the incident himself.
The eyewitness left before officers arrived, Ryan said.
Mahony's arrest has since been sealed, a spokeswoman for the NYPD said Wednesday.
Local residents said the incident left them terrified.
“This could have happened to anyone,” said Sonia Sousa, a Forest Hills resident who frequents the station daily. “It’s very scary.”
Heidi Chain, president of the 112th Precinct Community Council, said she would like to see cameras installed on the platforms at local subway stations, which she said would serve as “a deterrent to crime" and would also “help identify the people that are criminals.”
She said such cameras have been installed at many stations in Manhattan, but not in Queens.
“There is no video nor on time streaming of our platforms,” she said. “It would improve our safety.”
The MTA did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
The NYPD deployed additional officers to the 71 Avenue subway station "following the incident," the department said in an email.
Ryan said that the Queens DA's office hopes those who witnessed the incident will come forward.
