Hero MTA subway operator stops train, helps suicidal woman on tracks in Brooklyn
BROOKLYN, New York City (WABC) -- A quick-thinking MTA subway operator is being hailed a hero.
On Monday afternoon, Eric Boyo was at the controls of a G train in Brooklyn. As he approached Fulton Street Station, he noticed people on the platform waving their hands.
At first he thought they were playing around. Then the 59-year-old looked down and saw a woman on the tracks.
He was able to pull the brake in time and stopped about 75 feet from the woman.
He opened his cabin door, and she indicated she wanted to come up.
Boyo, along with others, helped her onto the platform. The woman was taken to an area hospital.
Ashley Silverstein took a picture of the incident as it unfolded. She spoke exclusively with Eyewitness News.
Silverstein was with her boyfriend on the platform, and he was one of the people who waved Boyo down.
The operator is convinced had they not given him the heads up, this would have ended tragically.
Ashley, for one, considers Eric Boyo a hero.
She says watching him in action, being so kind and gentle with the troubled woman, was really heartwarming.
"He had the calmest disposition you could possibly want in that situation," she said.
"You have to kind of use your empathy," Boyo told Eyewitness News. "My biggest concern was, is this person okay?"
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, help is available. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or text TALK to 741-741 or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org for free confidential emotional support 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Even if it feels like it, you are not alone.
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