Subway horror in New York as passing train snags man standing too close to platform edge, drags him to death in tunnel

A man was dragged to his death by a New York City subway train Tuesday evening, authorities said.

The man was standing near the edge of the subway platform when the incoming train caught hold of an article of clothing and pulled him into the tunnel, a New York Police Department spokesman said.

The accident occurred at the number 7 platform at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. Officers responded to a 911 call about a person struck by a train at approximately 7:20pm, according to a second NYPD spokeswoman, Detective Annette Shelton. The 39-year-old man, who has not been publicly identified, was found with severe trauma to his body and was later pronounced dead.

Police and transit officials are investigating how the accident occurred. According to a Metropolitan Transportation Authority official, the platform was not crowded at the time, and it appeared that the train was already moving when the man entered the platform. The official said it was unclear why the man made contact with the train.

An unnamed law enforcement official told The New York Times that surveillance video shows the man being pulled into the tunnel as the subway train pulls away, and that train operators were alerted to what had happened when his body struck an electrical box, causing a flash.