Officials said an MTA worker was fatally struck by a subway train in Manhattan while he was on duty on Wednesday. Per PIX11, the Transport Workers Union Local 100 said 57-year-old Hilarion Joseph was flagging around 12:15 a.m. when a D train struck and killed him.
The fatal incident is said to have occurred close to the 34th Street–Herald Square station. Officials said the D train was headed northbound when Joseph got dragged beneath it after he was struck. The track worker was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
“There was work taking place, scheduled work. The fellow was flagging, and it’s very much still under investigation on what went wrong,” MTA Chair Janno Lieber said. “Our folks were at the hospital last night with the worker’s family. Obviously they’re very much in our thoughts right now.”
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Responding to the fatal incident on X (formerly Twitter), the National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team to investigate the accident. “These are dangerous jobs that we ask our people to do day in and day out,” said NYC Transit President Rich Davey.
In the wake of the 57-year-old’s death, officials on Wednesday paused all non-essential track work and held an 8-hour safety briefing for workers. Transport Workers Union Local 100 president Richard Davis in a statement also expressed his condolences to Joseph’s family and “any affected members during this tragic event.”
“This morning, I reported to the scene of the incident that resulted in the loss of one of our members from the track department,” said Davis.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the unfortunate news that our fellow member was involved in a tragic incident with a train. Please keep his family and friends in your prayers during this difficult time. An ongoing investigation is underway.”
