A woman says she is lucky to be alive after being shoved onto train tracks after she tried to stop her attacker spitting at her on the platform.
The 28-year-old was pushed at a Brooklyn subway station and then had to fend him off with a broom and wet floor sign.
He had attempted to follow her as she tried to escape the tense situation and things quickly escalated.
A commuter's video footage capture the moment the man allegedly threw her onto the line, moments before a train was due to arrive.
He was later identified as 24-year-old John Merritt. He was arrested and charged with assault, menacing and harassment, according to police.
The unnamed woman says it all started when he begun acting erratically before he picked up the objects and begun hitting her.
He then started to spit at her - before things turned very serious when he shoved her onto the track.
She got back up onto the platform and went after her attacker, striking him with a broom before the police arrived.
He was quickly arrested as people stepped in.
She told the New York Post : "When I tried to leave the situation he followed me but I decided that wasn’t the smartest move because by getting on the train the authorities cannot get to me and him. So I stayed on the platform."
But the administrative assistant and underwriter now says she can’t walk.
She added: "That’s the biggest injury right now - I have so many bruises on my legs, on my arms, I have a bruise on my face, and a cut on my face as well.
“I’m glad I was able to get pulled out of the train tracks, and before the train came and I’m glad to be here today.”
