Man Run Over by Subway While Retrieving Cell Phone, Escapes Without Injury

The man dropped his phone at the East 105th Street station in Canarsie

A man was run over by an L Train in Brooklyn Tuesday morning when he jumped down onto the tracks to get his cell phone, but emerged unscathed because he lay down when the train arrived, the MTA said.

The man hopped onto the tracks at the East 105th Street station in Canarsie at about 10:30 a.m. to get his phone.

As the L train arrived, he lay down and stayed under the train. The MTA says the train operator saw the man but it was too late to stop. The FDNY was called, but when rescuers arrived, he was gone.

The MTA says the man apparently hoisted himself back up onto the train platform and left the station.

MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said what he did was illegal, although it wasn't clear whether officials know who he is.

"Never, ever go onto the tracks to retrieve anything," Ortiz said. "Contact an MTA employee who can assist. Your life is worth more than a cell phone."

--Andrew Siff contributed to this story

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