A fight on the SEPTA platform in Philadelphia turned fatal as one person ended up falling onto the train tracks just milliseconds before the train approached the station.
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said Chaz Wearing, 40, was taken into custody in connection to the incident from Thursday afternoon. In a bystander video, Wearing is seen being pinned up against the platform column by the victim who is currently unidentified. The man punches Wearing repeatedly and appears to say “Give me my lighter bro, give me my f-cking lighter bro.”
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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said 40-year-old Chaz Wearing, who has no fixed address, is in custody and charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Charges are subject to change if new information is obtained by authorities, the district attorney’s office said Friday.
Wearing has a warrant for a strangulation case in Delaware County, and the D.A.’s office said his criminal history spans other Pennsylvania counties including Clinton County and Lycoming County.
Safety along the SEPTA line has been a growing concern for local riders, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. In addition to people being thrown on the train tracks, other prominent offenses include gun violence and harassment – to the point where transit officials have moved to create a ban list of repeat offenders. In the first quarter of 2023, homicide, robbery and aggravated assault cases in connection to the SEPTA line were all spiked.
As a result, ridership has dropped by 85 percent since 2019, the report says. Meanwhile, the Transit Police has been trying to increase the numbers in their department.
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