(JEWISH VOICE NEWS) A Brooklyn medical student has been charged with attempted murder after police say he pushed a 73-year-old grandfather into a moving subway train in the Bronx, CBS News 2 NY reports.

The shocking attack occurred early New Year’s Day, only hours after celebrations welcoming 2026, around 3:30 a.m. Thursday at the 161st Street–Yankee Stadium subway station, CBS News 2 NY reports. Authorities said Julio Figueroa was standing on the platform when a stranger suddenly shoved him into a southbound 4 train that had just entered the station. Figueroa bounced off the moving train and hit the platform, sustaining head injuries, CBS News 2 NY adds.

Police arrested 29-year-old Anton Aleshin in connection with the unprovoked assault. According to CBS News 2 NY, he faces charges including attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment, and harassment. Aleshin pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail, with a return court date scheduled for Tuesday.

Aleshin’s attorney, affiliated with Legal Aid, declined to comment, CBS News 2 NY reports. Prosecutors said he is part of a residency program at Brookdale University Hospital, though a spokesperson for One Brooklyn Health, which oversees Brookdale, also declined to comment on the case.

Figueroa, a grandfather to 17 children, remains in the ICU at Lincoln Hospital. CBS News 2 NY reports that his niece, Venis Falu, said he has stitches on the back of his head and does not remember the incident.

“He doesn’t really remember what happened,” Falu told CBS News 2 NY, describing her uncle as a quiet man who “normally goes out, doesn’t bother anybody.” Figueroa had been returning home from a night at Empire City Casino in Yonkers when the attack occurred.

The motive for the assault remains unclear. “To me, it had to be either he was drunk or having a bad day, but that’s no excuse to hurt anybody,” Falu said, according to CBS News 2 NY. Family members are praying for Figueroa’s recovery while seeking answers. “It made no sense,” she added, CBS News 2 NY reports.