A Manhattan jury convicted a Queens man of attempted murder after he pushed a commuter into a departing subway train, leaving her paralyzed from the shoulders down.
Manhattan, NY – A New York State Supreme Court jury has convicted a Queens man who shoved a woman into a moving subway train in a shocking early-morning attack at a Manhattan station, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. announced Tuesday.
The jury found 42-year-old Kamal Semrade guilty Monday of attempted murder in the second degree and first-degree assault for the May 2023 attack at the Lexington Avenue–63rd Street subway station.
Key Points
• Kamal Semrade convicted of attempted murder in NYC subway attack
• Victim was shoved into a departing train at Lexington Avenue–63rd Street station
• Woman suffered spinal fractures and remains paralyzed from the shoulders down
Attack during morning commute
Prosecutors said the 35-year-old victim was commuting to work on the morning of May 21, 2023, when Semrade followed her off a train at the Lexington Avenue–63rd Street station after both had boarded earlier in Queens at the Roosevelt Avenue stop.
At approximately 6:05 a.m., authorities said Semrade approached the woman from behind as she stood next to a train that was beginning to depart the station.
Investigators said he used both hands to shove the woman by the head and neck with full force into the moving subway car.
Victim suffered catastrophic injuries
The woman’s face and head struck the train before she was thrown back onto the platform.
The impact fractured her spine, prosecutors said. Despite undergoing spinal surgery, the victim remains paralyzed from the shoulders down.
District Attorney Bragg said the attack turned an everyday commute into a life-altering tragedy.
“Kamal Semrade turned a moving train into a weapon that caused devastating, life-altering injuries,” Bragg said.
Suspect identified through Crime Stoppers
After the attack, authorities said Semrade fled the station and later returned to the Queens shelter where he was living.
According to prosecutors, he placed the clothes he wore during the attack out for laundry service that evening.
Shelter employees recognized him from an NYPD Crime Stoppers alert, leading to his arrest two days later.
Sentencing scheduled in May
Semrade now faces significant prison time following his conviction on the two felony counts.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 6 in New York State Supreme Court.
