Quantcast

Musician loses 3 fingers in foiled E train robbery

By Peter Sorkin

Three men have been arrested and charged in connection with the robbery on the E line, police said.

Police said Aristidis Gil, 20, who moved to New York three months ago from Florida and whose address was not provided, was in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital following the accident at the 23rd Street/Ely Avenue station. The subway station platform lies underneath the Citibank building at 37-20 37th Ave.

Gil had moved to New York to pursue a career in music production, according to published reports. His mother had apparently feared for his safety and worried about him leaving for New York, according to the Daily News.

Detective Cheryl Cox, a police spokeswoman, said Gil and two friends were in the stopped subway car about 2:10 a.m. when they were approached by three men who demanded their money and jewelry. One of the men pretended to be holding a gun in his jacket, she said.

A struggle ensued and Gil's friends were able to escape from the car through its open doors, Cox said. His friends tried to pull Gil out of the subway car as the doors were closing, and the three suspects tried to pull him back into the car but could not grab him as the train began to move, she said.

Gil, still being held by one of his friends, was dragged along the platform as the train neared the tunnel, Cox said. She said the friend let go when he rammed into a pillar and was knocked to the ground. Gil hit a gate near the tunnel and was thrown to the tracks, where his hand was run over by one of the Manhattan-bound E train's wheels. she said.

The conductor stopped the train after Gil fell onto the tracks. Surgeons at Bellevue were unable to reattach the fingers, police said.

Two of the men arrested, Tyrone Howard, 21, of 370 Montgomery St. and Manuel Rosario, 21, of 277 East Gunhill Rd., are from Brooklyn and a third suspect, Corey Turner, 28, of 402 West 41st St. lives in Manhattan, Cox said. A watch and a gold chain were recovered from the men, she said.

Officers from the 108th Precinct would not comment on the case other than to confirm that the three men were in custody. Security guards at the Citibank building were in disbelief after hearing of the attack and were unaware of previous attacks at the subway platform.