Philadelphia police charge combatant over gruesome death of man crushed by subway train

A fight broke out Thursday night at a subway station in the crime-ridden city of Philadelphia. What started with fists and raised voices ultimately ended with screams and the cold steel of a SEPTA train's wheels. Although police are still investigating the gruesome incident, the surviving combatant has been charged with manslaughter.

The fight, which was filmed by a nearby commuter, broke out between two men around 4:30 p.m. on the SEPTA train platform for the Market-Frankford line at 34th and Market streets, reported WCAU-TV.

Philadelphia Police Inspector Kpana Massaquoi said it "appeared to be some type of physical altercation. We don't know exactly what took place prior to that to initiate this, but it's being investigated."

Footage shows the victim holding a smaller man against a pillar near the edge of the platform. The smaller man, identified by police as Chaz Wearing — a 40-year-old with a criminal history — appears to demand something from the victim. It's unclear what precisely the two are arguing about, but the threatening nature of their gesticulation is unmistakable.

Wearing punches the victim in the face, knocking him off balance. As the victim stumbles backward, toward the edge, Wearing attempts to strike him once more. Apparently noticing his own proximity to the edge and the fast-approaching train, Wearing recoils, falling away from the edge. The victim, meanwhile, slips headfirst over the edge and onto the tracks below.

Despite the conductor's apparent efforts to brake, the incoming SEPTA train runs over the victim roughly three seconds after he fell, eliciting screams, cries, and gasps from onlookers in the vicinity.

In the longer, uncut footage of the incident that shows the victim's lifeless form coiled around the train's front wheels, one witness can be heard saying, "That is f***ing ridiculous. ... Oh my God, I feel so f***ing terrible."

Wearing was apprehended blocks away at the 40th Street Station. The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office announced Friday that he was charged with involuntary manslaughter, reported WCAU.

Wearing is believed to be homeless and was wanted in relation to a strangulation case in Delaware County, according to investigators. He reportedly has a criminal history in Clinton and Lycoming counties as well.

The victim has yet to be identified.

The railway announced a temporary closure of the 34th Street Station after the incident on account of "police activity."

The Thursday incident comes just days after Philadelphia's new Democrat mayor, Cherelle Parker, stated in her inaugural address, "I want the world to know that I am fully committed to ending this sense of lawlessness and bringing order back to our city and a sense of lawfulness," reported the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Five days into the new year, and Philadelphia has already seen three homicides. In 2023 and in 2022, there were 410 and 514 murders, respectively. According to Neighborhood Scout, the likelihood of falling victim to a violent crime in the city is 1 in 123. The likelihood of becoming a victim of a property crime in the city is 1 in 38.

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