Army recruit shoved onto Manhattan subway tracks, misses father's funeral

U.S. Army recruit Aaron Kareem Watson was on temporary leave to attend his father Alfred Kenneth Watson's funeral when a staredown on the E train turned violent. After exiting the train at West Fourth Street station, a stocky man in black followed Watson up the stairs, shouted aggressively, and pushed him onto the southbound tracks once the train had left. Passersby quickly rescued Watson, who suffered only minor bruises and was taken to Bellevue Hospital.

The episode forced him to miss the memorial service for his father, who perished in a fire in East New York, Brooklyn. Watson described the suspect as likely homeless and noted that police are still investigating the assault. He later visited his aunt Sylvia Watson, who expressed deep sorrow over the compounded family losses.