A South Ozone Park man was indicted by a Queens grand jury on manslaughter and other charges in the fatal shoving of a fellow commuter during a physical altercation in Jackson Heights last month.
Carlos Garcia, 50, was arraigned Nov. 10 before Queens Supreme Court Justice Toni Cimino on a two-count indictment charging him with manslaughter in the second degree and assault in the second degree, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
As the evening rush got underway on Oct. 17, inside the Roosevelt Avenue-Jackson Heights subway station, Garcia, of 155th Street, began to argue with a 38-year-old man following a brush of shoulders that caused Garcia to drop his cell phone onto the tracks, according to the charges. The dispute turned physical when Garcia punched Heriberto Quintana of Jamaica, causing him to fall onto the tracks at the exact time an F train approached the station. The train couldn’t stop in time and struck Quintana.
EMS responded to the scene and rushed Quintana to Elmhurst Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead.
“Our subway system is a vital lifeline and must be safe for the billions of New Yorkers who depend on it every day,” Katz said. “My office will continue to hold accountable anyone undermining the safety of our public transit systems,”
Justice Cimino ordered Garcia to return to court on Dec. 7. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
