A 28-year-old man has died after attempting to jump a subway turnstile in New York, police have confirmed.
The unnamed man broke his neck as he landed on the cement floor at the Forest Hills-71st Avenue train station in Queens on Sunday 2 January at around 6.45am, according to the New York Post.
A police spokesperson said he had been ‘attempting to evade the fare’ at the station, which provides E, F, M and R line service.
However, as he jumped over the payment turnstile, he came crashing to the ground and landed on his neck.
The man was pronounced dead on the scene, police said.
This freak accident comes in the first days of 2022 after a year of violence in New York City.
The day before, an off-duty New York Police Department officer was shot as he slept inside his car in Harlem.
Police and city officials said the officer had been resting between weekend shifts at a police precinct in East Harlem when he was awoken by a bullet at 6.15am.
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said the bullet broke through one of the car windows and struck the officer in the head.
An on-duty sergeant found him as he exited the vehicle, bleeding from the gunshot wound.
The injured officer received first aid before being rushed to hospital, where he underwent surgery, with doctors confirming he had suffered a fractured skull.
In a statement posted on social media, the NYPD said he had been discharged from hospital.
The force said: “After being struck by a bullet yesterday morning outside the @NYPD25Pct, our officer is leaving the hospital today thanks to the medical staff at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell.
“Our blue family lined up to wish him well in his continued recovery as he heads back home.”
Sewell said the officer had finished an eight-hour shift at around 2.30am, having been covering a New Year’s Eve event at Central Park. He then returned to the East Harlem precinct, where he slept in his car to rest before starting his next shift at 7am.
"We are grateful that our officer is recovering as we know this could have been a very tragic outcome," Sewell said at a press conference, where she was joined by newly sworn-in Mayor Eric Adams.
Adams vowed to ‘find the gun, find the person who discharged the weapon and those who believe they are going to destroy our city with gun and gang violence.’
According to NBC New York, a $10,000 reward is being offered for any information about the shooting.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: US News
Jess Hardiman