A homeless man died while sitting on a New York City subway platform Tuesday morning in Midtown Manhattan, a police spokesman told Jalopnik. The body was left sitting up and partially covered with a sheet on the platform bench long enough for commuters to take photos.
The 62-year-old man was reported dead at around 9 a.m. this morning on a Subway platform at the Herald Square Subway station, according to police. The man’s body “showed no signs of trauma,” as reported by the New York Daily News.
An MTA spokesperson confirmed to Jalopnik that train service continued as scheduled while police handled the scene. The police did not request to stop train service.
The news of the death was spread around Twitter after KFCBarstool, also known as Kevin Clancy of Barstool Sports, tweeted a picture of the body covered by a white blanket with an unfortunate caption:
“The worst goddam city in the world,” Clancy said in a followup tweet. Other users also chimed in on the understandable shock of arriving in the station with a dead body sitting on a bench:
In the past, here’s how the MTA has explained the process of removing the deceased:
“It’s of the utmost importance that anyone who dies in the subway is removed from tracks and public spaces like platforms as quickly as possible, to restore service quickly and to give humane treatment to the deceased and their family. The placement and removal of bodies are handled by NYPD and the NYC Medical Examiner, and we’re discussing with TWU officials how any of the current practices can be enhanced for the comfort of our workers.”
The MTA told Jalopnik it is still investigating today’s incident, and this article will be updated as more information becomes available.