Long Island high school student Liam Armstrong was attempting to cross the subway tracks at 79th street to get to the downtown side of the platform when he was struck and killed by a 2 train Tuesday night, media reports indicate.
Armstrong was celebrating his 18th birthday in the city with friends, and was trying to get to Greenwich Village when he realized he was on an uptown 1 train and got off at 79th, the New York Post reported. He attempted to switch to the downtown side by crossing right through the middle of the tracks — a 2 train slammed into him on the way. At least one of his friends apparently made it.
“It’s a really unfortunate incident,” a police officer at the scene told DNAinfo. “You have some kids that don’t know how to come upstairs to go to the other side [of the station]. That’s all I can say about this.”
Friends told the Post that Armstrong wanted to be a police officer like his father. He apparently played lacrosse at his high school.
“He was a very nice kid, always making everybody laugh,” said Ali Grimaldi, a senior at Smithtown HS West.
“It was his 18th birthday today, and I think they just wanted to have a little bit of fun,” she added.
Photo of Armstrong courtesy of DNAinfo.
