WHITE PLAINS – A 41-year-old homeless
man from White Plains was sentenced in Westchester County Court on Tuesday
to 25 years in state prison for pushing a college student in front of
an oncoming Metro-North Railroad train as she stood on the railroad’s
White Plains station platform.
Howard Mickens pled guilty in December to attempted murder for pushing
Maya Leggat from behind on September 25, 2013. The victim was struck by
the train and suffered several injuries including a broken back, a severed
finger, several broken bones and lacerations across her body.
The train’s operator put the train into emergency mode and contacted
dispatchers.
Mickens walked away from the platform, but several witnesses followed
him and alerted MTA police, who took him into custody.
“Without any warning or prior interaction, this defendant pushed
a young woman on her way to school in front of a moving commuter train,”
said Westchester District Attorney Janet DiFiore. “While this young
woman’s quick and clear headed thinking saved her life, this defendant
will now be held accountable for his actions and serve the maximum sentence
allowed by law.”
