Man killed by SEPTA train after falling onto tracks during fight; suspect charged
PHILADELPHIA - A man was killed by a SEPTA train when police say he fell onto the tracks during a fight at 34th Street Station Thursday afternoon. A second man suspected of being involved in the fight is now facing criminal charges.
Hours after the incident, video of the fight began to circulate, leaving passengers stunned.
"Is there some reticence, some concern?" asked FOX 29’s Jeff Cole.
"Yes, kind of. If anybody is going to argue with me, could that happen again? It’s scary," Drexel University student, Rachel Alston, answered.
The argument, apparently over a lighter, leads 40-year-old Chaz Wearing to swing a punch at the victim, who then falls to the platform and onto the tracks, just as a train is arriving, killing him.
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Friday morning, the Philadelphia District Attorney's office announced involuntary manslaughter charges against Wearing in connection with the incident.
Chaz Wearing
"It’s an open system," SEPTA Police Chief Charles Lawson said. "We can’t have cops on every platform, though we had cops at that station last night. It shows how quickly things can happen."
"It’s going to represent something about SEPTA you’re not going to want?" asked Cole.
"The problems we experience in this population tend to stay in this population. That’s what we see. It doesn’t spill over much impacting our everyday riders," Lawson responded.
Officials say Wearing appears to be homeless and has a criminal history that includes a bench warrant for an open strangulation case in Delaware County. The investigation is ongoing and the DA's office says the charges are subject to change.
SEPTA suspended service on the Market-Frankford Line between 30th and 40th Street Stations for about two hours.
SEPTA argued Friday the situation was two troubled men grappling on their platform, ending in tragedy, but not a threat to riders. Trying to bring back ridership after the pandemic drop-off, the video racing across the web may be another black eye for the transit agency.
Anyone who may have information about the incident is asked to contact police.
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