Illegal Alien Charged With Murder After Allegedly Shoving Elderly Veteran Onto Subway Tracks
Photo is not from story. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Authorities have filed a second-degree murder charge against a Honduran national who is in the United States illegally after an elderly Air Force veteran he allegedly pushed onto subway tracks in New York died from his injuries.
The suspect, identified as 34-year-old Bairon Hernandez, is accused of assaulting 83-year-old Richard Williams, a U.S. Air Force veteran, during an incident that took place on March 8. According to reports, Hernandez also attacked a 30-year-old man during the same encounter.
Police said the incident occurred around 11:39 p.m. inside a New York City subway station. Investigators say Hernandez approached Williams from behind and pushed him onto the tracks. At the time of the incident, no train was entering the station.
Williams suffered a serious head injury and bleeding in the brain. Doctors performed surgery, but later determined that there was no brain activity. He was placed on life support but eventually died from the injuries he sustained.
🚨WANTED FOR AN ASSAULT: on Sunday, March 8, 2026, at approximately 11:30 A.M, a 30-year-old male was standing on the Southbound “F,Q” platform on Lexington Avenue-63 Street subway station, in the confines of the 19th Precinct/Transit District 1, when he was approached by an… pic.twitter.com/2MjXug5ntG
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) March 9, 2026
Hernandez was taken into custody shortly after the incident and was initially arraigned on assault-related charges on March 11. After Williams died, the city’s medical examiner ruled the death a homicide on March 25, leading prosecutors to upgrade the charges to second-degree murder.
The Department of Homeland Security said Hernandez has been deported from the United States four times in the past. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a detainer on him following the attack.
According to DHS, Hernandez first entered the country in 2008 and was removed multiple times between then and 2020. Officials also stated that he has faced 15 previous criminal charges. Court records show he was convicted in New Jersey for illegal entry into the country and later convicted again in Texas for unlawfully re-entering after deportation.
Jhon Rodriguez, the 30-year-old man Hernandez is also accused of attacking, told reporters that Williams struck his head during the fall and began bleeding heavily. Rodriguez said he and another man were able to pull Williams back onto the subway platform before the next train arrived.
Hernandez is scheduled to appear in court again on March 30 for another arraignment.
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