MTA Worker Honored for Heroic Rescue on Subway Tracks

An MTA worker is recognized for his heroic action.

Angel Oquendo has been honored by his colleagues, through the union that represents them, for having rescued a passenger who fell onto the subway tracks in an incident on Tuesday.

Union members affirm that what happened is a sample of the risks that these workers can encounter on a daily basis.

Oquendo was cleaning windows on the platform of the 25th Street station in Sunset Park when he heard a loud noise. Turning around, he observed a man on the rails and immediately ran to get him onto the platform at a time when a train was approaching.

“I told him ‘give me your arm to grab.’ I grabbed his arm and lifted him up like this. I feel good because I helped another person,” Oquendo said. “But if I think about it a lot, you know, ‘it worries me’, because I could also pull myself, pick a track. What happened happened, everything went quickly and everything went well by the grace of God,” said Oquendo.

For this fact, Oquendo has also been recognized by the MTA and the City Transit Authority.

And it’s not the first time that Oquendo, who has worked for New York City Transit for 16 years, has received thanks for his heroism.

Governor Hochul and the MTA also honored him for assisting riders during the April 2022 subway shooting in Sunset Park.

For Tuesday’s incident, police have arrested the individual who allegedly pushed a 54-year-old man onto the tracks. The victim was not injured