New video shows woman pushed onto tracks at Bloor-Yonge station in Toronto
Posted April 19, 2022 6:22 am.
Last Updated April 20, 2022 5:18 am.
A 45-year-old woman accused of attempted murder appeared in court on Tuesday, days after she pushed another woman onto the subway tracks at Toronto’s Bloor-Yonge subway station.
Emergency crews were called to the station just after 9 p.m. on Sunday after getting reports that someone was pushed in front of an oncoming train.
Police tell CityNews a train arrived seconds after a 39-year-old woman was pushed onto the station’s westbound platform tracks. The victim escaped critical injuries when she instinctively rolled and pressed up against the platform as the train went by.
She suffered a broken rib from the fall onto the tracks. Police say she was conscious and breathing when paramedics took her to a nearby trauma centre via emergency run.
She remains in hospital with injuries but is expected to survive.
A TTC employee at Finch GO Station recognized the suspect on Monday evening from photos released by Toronto Police earlier in the day.
Officers arrived at the station around 6:30 p.m. and arrested 45-year-old Edith Frayne of Toronto. She has been charged with attempted murder and is due in court for a bail hearing at College Park at 10 a.m.
Police say there did not appear to be any altercation between the victim and the suspect before the incident.
The incident has renewed calls for improved safety features at Toronto subway stations, including safety barriers to be installed at the edge of each platform.
New video shows disturbing moment victim was pushed
The video, obtained by BlogTO, shows the two women on the subway platform appearing to, at the very least, acknowledge one another.
Frayne, the woman charged in the incident, is then seen pushing the woman onto the tracks as the subway arrives.
Toronto police Const. David Hopkinson says the woman is lucky to be alive.
“Lucky is an understatement,” he said. “I have to give her a lot of credit. I think she had great wherewithal to understand her surroundings and what she needed to do to survive.”
A photo obtained by CityNews showed Frayne being taken into custody.
Shelagh Pizey-Allen, a spokesperson for TTC Riders, a non-profit in Toronto, says cases like this need to be taken seriously to better protect passengers moving forward.
“It’s very scary. Anyone who has been waiting on a crowded platform, especially at Bloor-Yonge station, knows the feeling ‘am I going to stumble, what if there is some jostling in the crowd,” Pizey-Allen said.
Frayne made a brief court appearance and remains in custody until next week. Her lawyer spoke to CityNews, saying he is now reviewing evidence provided by the Crown with the possibility his client applies for bail.
With files from Shauna Hunt of CityNews
