New York: Timely action by a Keralite subway operator in the US saved a man, who had been pushed onto the railway track in a suspected hate crime incident. Keralite Tobin Madathil saved the Asian man’s life by stopping the train just in time.

The incident happened on the 21st street-Queensbridge station of the New York subway. The train stopped just 9 metres away from the person, lying on the track.

"I saw people waving at me from the platform. Then I saw the person lying on the track. I immediately shifted the engine to the emergency mode and applied the brake. The train came to a halt very close to him. Fortunate to have saved a life,” Tobin told ‘Manorama’ from New York.

Tobin got off the train, went up to the person who was bleeding and informed the subway control. "People at the platform also helped," Tobin recounted.

Tobin, 29, has been working as a train operator at the New York subway for two years. He is the son of Thiruvalla native Philip Madathil and Anna. Philip, who has been in the US for 30 years, lives in Queens, New York.

The victim, suspected to be of Chinese-origin, is recovering at the hospital. The attacker is yet to be nabbed.

Such crimes are common on the New York subway. After the Covid pandemic struck, hate crimes against people of Asian descent have been on the rise in the US. US President Joe Biden had the other day signed a Bill to counter this.