CONCOURSE — A 61-year-old straphanger died in front of his shocked wife Sunday morning when a stranger shoved him into the path of an oncoming D train in a Bronx subway station, police said.
Wai Kuen Kwok and his 59-year-old wife were standing on the Manhattan-bound platform of the 167th Street subway station, near Grand Concourse, about 8:45 a.m. when he was pushed onto the tracks, an NYPD spokesman said.
Kwok, who lived nearby on Findlay Avenue, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Kwok adored his wife and the couple was very warm with neighbors, said Jamie Wu, 21, who lives downstairs from the family.
"They would always hold hands down the street as they walked to the subway," Wu said.
"They were very friendly."
The suspect, who can be seen in surveillance footage released by investigators, fled the scene and remained at large Monday morning, police said.
He came up from the subway station and hopped on a BX35 and traveled about six blocks to the intersection of Jesup Avenue and West 170th Street where he went into a bodega, an NYPD spokeswoman said.
"Around 8:57, we saw the guy come into the store off the bus. When he entered, he bought a cigarette, a loosie, and talked to another customer who was on line. He just used two quarters to pay," said Deimer Alvarez, a 23-year-old clerk at New Yemen Deli, 1348 Jesup Ave.
The video shows the suspect, wearing a black leather jacket with gray jeans and white shoes, come out of the store and light a cigarette before walking slowly down the street.
"The guy left the store and he was smoking the cigarette on Jesup. He was looking toward the 4 train and took a couple of puffs and walked away," Alvarez said.
Investigators posted notices around the neighborhood asking for information and offering a $2,000 reward.
Kwok's death comes two years after two similar incidents. A Korean immigrant was killed on Dec. 3, 2012 when an emotionally disturbed homeless man pushed him in front of a Q train in Midtown.
About three weeks later, a small-business owner died when a woman pushed him in front of a 7 train in Sunnyside.
Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477).