Update: Suspect ordered held without bail in deadly Bronx subway push
HIGHBRIDGE, N.Y. (WABC) -- A man accused of shoving a stranger in front of a Bronx subway train, killing him, has appeared before a judge who ordered him held without bail.
Kevin Darden, 34, did not enter a plea during a hearing Wednesday evening in Bronx Criminal Court and remained silent throughout the proceeding.
"Kevin Darden is a human being. He's not a monster," said Edward McGowan, Darden's attorney.
Kevin Darden's attorney doing his job Wednesday night, reminding everyone his client is innocent until proven guilty.
Darden said nothing as he was escorted from the 44th Precinct by police overnight.
Wednesday, it was just as quiet as a judge said: no bail.
Darden is accused of shoving 61-year-old Wai Kuen Kwok in front of an oncoming train in the Highbridge section of the Bronx, killing the husband and father in what police believe was an unprovoked attack. His horrified wife cried onto the motorman who was distraught after the crash.
"Like any human being who's charged with a crime in this country he's entitled to the presumption of innocence and to a vigorous defense which I can guarantee he is going to get. I would just ask the public and the media to refrain from jumping from any conclusions regarding Mr. Darden or this terrible incident," McGowan said.
"How is your mom?" Eyewitness News asked.
"Everyone is fine," the victim's son said.
The Kwok family released a written statement saying, "We extend our deepest appreciation for the outpouring of condolences, prayers, and support during this difficult time."
Sources believe Darden is also responsible for pushing a 51-year-old man on a platform at the 4th Street Station in Greenwich Village on November 6th, that victim suffered minor injuries.
Investigators released surveillance video of Darden after the Sunday incident.
The motorman of the subway that hit Kwok spoke on camera exclusively to Eyewitness News and was still shaken earlier this week.
"I see something flying across the tracks," James Muriel said. "I knew that someone was pushed, just by the way that the person fell onto the tracks."
Muriel hit the brakes, shut his eyes and held his breath as a man's body hit the windshield of his train.
Muriel found Kwok's dead body beneath the third car of the train.
"I then returned to the platform, and the victim's wife cried in my arms, begging me for help," Muriel said.
Muriel said last year, his D train killed a suicidal man. So after 16 years on the job, he's ready to retire.
"I feel terrible," he said. "I wish there was more I could do. I haven't slept well and I haven't eaten anything in 24 hours."
The woman and other witnesses chased the suspect, who police believe got on the BX35 bus just minutes after the attack. Later, footage shows him getting off the bus after a few stops and heading into a convenience store.
Police won't say what led up to the suspect pushing the victim. Subway riders tell Eyewitness News it could have been over an attempted cell phone robbery, however, police have not confirmed those details.
Sources say the Bronx man has 30 prior arrests, including robbery, assault, and narcotics.
There have been three other incidents in recent years that involved a person being pushed onto the tracks.
In April 2013, a train ran over a man desperately clawing at a Manhattan subway platform after being pushed onto the tracks by a homeless suspect with whom he'd been arguing.
In December 2012, another homeless man was arrested for pushing a Queens straphanger in front of a Times Square train that fatally crushed him.
And later the same month, a mumbling woman pushed a man to his death in front of a subway train in Queens.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
