NYC aspiring actress, Helen McDonald Phalon dies after being dragged by subway train at Union Square. Was she standing too close to platform edge?
Authorities have yet to say how exactly a young aspiring actress came to be killed by a NYC subway train early Saturday morning.
Helen McDonald Phalon, 21, of Brooklyn, New York, died after she was hit and dragged by a southbound No. 6 subway train at the Union Square station in Manhattan around 3am.
New York Police indicated Phalon’s got her clothes or body parts caught by the train as it pulled into the station. It was unclear if Phalon was leaning into the oncoming train or how close to the edge she’d been standing.
Surveillance cameras captured the moment Phalon was dragged a ways on the platform before she ultimately was pulled onto the tracks where she was killed, police said.
The Metro Transit Authority cut power to the tracks as emergency responders tried to save Phalon who was pronounced dead at the scene.
‘Preliminary investigation indicates [Phalon’s death was] accidental, however, the investigation is ongoing,’ New York police said in an emailed statement.
Helen McDonald Phalon arrived in NYC with dreams of making it as an actress:
McDonald-Phalon had moved to New York City from South Carolina with aspirations of becoming an actress, her mother told the WSJ.
‘She was an amazing, beautiful light, and I’m devastated,’ Ms McDonald-Phalon told the newspaper.
She was working at ThinkGeek in Manhattan at the time of her death. Some of her co-workers mourned her passing on Facebook Saturday and Sunday.
‘This Holiday weekend has brought with it some tragic news,’ ThinkGeek posted on its Facebook page where it promoted a GoFundMe account for Phalon’s family on Sunday.
‘[Helen] was an amazing person to work with and simply a good-hearted individual,’ the company added. ‘Helen was a deeply caring, empathetic, and most of all humorous person.
A true beacon of joy and positivity to all those fortunate enough to know her, or know of her. … Though this loss has dimmed our lives for the moment, we keep her memories alive in our hearts. We love you, Helen!’
A GoFundme page as of Monday morning in memory of Helen had raised over $4200.
