Two tourists pushed onto subway tracks in unprovoked attack, police say

Two tourists from Mexico were pushed onto the subway tracks in Manhattan Monday morning, police said.

The women, who were pushed at the Delancey and Essex Street station, were sent to the hospital and are expected to be OK, officials said.

Ebony Butts, 42, is accused of pushing the women in what police say is an unprovoked attack.

People nearby were able to help the victims up onto the platform to safety, according to officials.

“Our riders need to feel like nothing is going to happen to them because somebody who has mental health issues is going to do something suddenly,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said.

Commuters say being pushed onto the subway tracks is an incident that some subway riders say happens too often.

“When I’m in the city, I keep my back toward the wall. And I’m probably a little more vigilant,” subway rider Andy Caulfield said.

“I used to be one of those people, I think, when I first moved here, that I would be really close to the edge. But now I keep my distance from being on the edge,” Manhattan resident Morgana Mauny said.

Lieber said police were on the platform to make a quick arrest. Meanwhile, Butts was sent to Bellevue Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

“We have made getting the seriously mentally ill people out of the subway a huge priority,” Lieber said.

The MTA’s SCOUT pilot program puts together clinicians and police to aid those suffering from mental illness.

“Voluntary most of the time, but involuntary if necessary,” Lieber said.

The MTA also has a pilot program installing yellow barriers for an added layer of protection, potentially preventing incidents like Monday’s attack.

The barriers are at 10 subway stations across the city. Lieber said the barriers are a priority for the next capital program.