A father punched a 73-year-old man who bumped into his two-year-old son’s stroller at the 72nd street subway station on Sunday night around 6:45 p.m., police told the Daily News.
Lenin Cancel, 44, of Boerum Hill, claimed Kurt Nachum banged into his wife and young son as he got off the train, sources said.
The impact caused the boy to hit his head on the bar of the stroller, giving him a black eye, according to the sources. They said Cancel then punched Nachum in the head, breaking skin on the left side of his face.
Initially, Cancel was charged with assault on a victim older than 65, and Nachum was charged with assault on a victim younger than 11, as well as child endangerment, according to the News. But eventually Cancel was arraigned on a misdemeanor assault, attempted assault and harassment charges. The DA did not bring charges against Nachum.
Cancel’s mother spoke up for him: “That was his child. Any reasonable human being would have done the same.”
File photo by Amy Aglar.
No needs for fists. If everyone just showed some restraint and patience this world would be a better place. Kill with Kindness and give others the benefit of the doubt
And some people just need to be sent to jail or given probation. We’re not all the same character or upbringing. Those who act out on others deserve to get punished.
Please do NOT bring your strollers on the subway. That’s not violence, violence is the knife fight I saw on Columbus a few days ago in front of the bar down there on 72nd street. Back to the old UWS indeed!
These people were clearly idiots (or worse), but I think it’s unreasonable to say that people with children shouldn’t travel on the subway, and it is essentially impossible to get around and do errands and the like with a non-walking child without a stroller. It is not unreasonable for people to accommodate strollers – but it is completely unreasonable to punch someone for an accident (or, frankly, for much else).
Dear Mark,
Some of us do not want to risk the lives of our young children by putting them in a taxi with no carseat. Going anywhere with both a stroller and a large toddler carseat is out of the question for us. Or do you think it would be easier to take the stroller on the bus? While I rarely leave the neighborhood due to these difficulties, there are times when taking the stroller down the subway is just unavoidable.
Manhattan is a very challenging and expensive place to raise children. If you are unable to or choose not to use safe means of transportation for your children, perhaps the suburbs would be a better choice for your family?
If you want to protect your kids.
DO NOT RAISE THEM IN THE CITY!!! The city is a playground for adults.
It is designed for ADULTS and for BUSINESS. This is no place to raise kids. Do so at your own peril!!!
and please…if they are going to grow up here…teach them to fucking walk, get exercise and learn the ways of the city and the subway..and keep the fucking strollers off the subway! Pretenting its cute or safe here is something you see only on network tv.
AND LET ME FUCKIN ADD: You are safer in a cab without a stupid child seat for a few fuckin blocks at 25 mph than you are taking the subway..anytime…anyday!!!
That one is especially pointed at Dumbfuck entitled yuppie helicopter parents!!!
Creedmore meets the UWS
Sometimes you gotta fight rude with rude.
Go to hell, S. Louie. If people can bring their pets, shopping carts, music equipment, wheelchairs, etc, I can bring my stroller. This crotchety old ass deserved what he got.
Get some patience, people! The world does not cater to you!!!!
Your Paradigm of Patience is so beautifully expressed in your words.
Let’s see. The City “is designed for ADULTS and for BUSINESS. This is no place to raise kids.”
And so your explanation for the existence of the City’s Department of Education is … what, exactly?
And your explanation for the fact that “The New York City Department of Education is the largest school district in the US, serving 1.1 million students in over 1,800 schools” is … what, exactly? http://schools.nyc.gov/AboutUs/default.htm
And — by the way — can you express a thought without use of the “F” word? Does that sophomoric crutch help you in whatever adult business you transact in the City?
Just get out to the suburbs precious yuppie.
Kids ridding in a car without a carseat is illegal anywhere else in the country as far as I am aware of. As for the claim that taking a stroller on the subway is the most dangerous option of the two, I would like to see the statistics to suport that statement.
S Louis,
moving very soon?
You still have to support the kids who are here. But let me tell you something about the schools here. My husband was raised right here on the UWS…and what he describes to me is nothing less of a horror show of bad culture and bad parenting. I took him to see my schools where I was went…..and he wants to move there!!!
That is the dream..to have a higher standard of living. You will not find that here in NYC
A guy who knew nothign else.. was born and raised..wants get the fuck out..because now he’s seen 80% cocao chocolate instead of that 40% milk crap that is NYC!
I raised two children in the city and took them on the subway everywhere with me. I never once took a stroller on the subway or the bus. When they were tiny I took them in a front pack; later I used a Sarah’s ride which supports the child on your hip. When they could walk well, they walked and held my hand. I never took taxis!! And I was old (42 when the second was born). Open strollers on the subway are dangerous.
K,that sounds great, but I wasn’t physically able to do that. I really think people (and the subway) can and should accommodate strollers – as long as stroller users are considerate (which does not mean disappearing).
“Any reasonable human being would have done the same.”
Really? Anyone would have punched a 73-year-old man for what was likely an accident? A black eye doesn’t show up on impact but this dad didn’t waste any time throwing a fist, so I’m not sure what these “sources” witnessed. The UWS has enough fanatic parents; tell this idiot to stay in Brooklyn.
The whole thing seems very fishy. Seems this “Dad” was looking to punch someone and found an old man to punch. If he has got issues let him pick on someone young and who can fight back. I suspect there were other motives, and that’s all I am going to say. I’d like to know if anything was “said” before this hooligan hauled off and hit an elderly man for nothing.
Ditto on the is comment. Completely.
“this” comment. Oops for the typo.
It takes some time for a black eye to manifest after an injury solo who actually caused the black ey. It might not have the bump at the subway that caused it. The police should definitely investigate. The father sounds like he has an anger management problem.
Agree. Mom taught her son this behavior and now wants to propagate her lessons to “Any reasonable human being”.
I guess she hoped to cash-in on her 15 minutes of infamy.
Thank God no one pulled out a gun! That’s what we usually read about these days. It’s almost more newsworthy that it was just a fist fight.
Just imagine if this father would have had a gun! An accident results in a physical attack. It’s appalling.
Oh, the horror… just imagine….
Seriously, where do people like you come from? You don’t even know the facts of the collision and what transpired, but you assume that if that dad had a gun he would’ve shot the 73 yr old man? Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds? You don’t think a grown man knows the difference between punching someone for carelessly causing a black eye to their child and shooting someone? WOWZERS!!!
Just making a side note of history of NYC subways. There was a time when having a gun was VERY realistic option.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernhard_Goetz
The father sounds like a thug. Thugs don’t care about what the circumstances actually are, thugs punch/stab/shoot first.
@ George Keough…Obviously, This guy didn’t act like a grown man and probably wouldn’t know the difference between PUNCHING and OLD man and using a gun! Stupid is as stupid does!!!
Actually, this all the fault of global warming and Wall St. bankers.
So very happy to be leaving New York after MANY years of living here!
Psst. People sometimes punch people in places other than NYC.
Bye-bye, and good riddance!
Enjoy whatever boring safe mono-culture to which you’re escaping!
The rest of us will stay with NYC because we love it, despite its flaws, and we wouldn’t even think of leaving!
And don’t let that ol’ swingin’ door hit you on your way out!!
The only reason you people love it is because you have the option to stay.
Other people have figured out that there are more AWESOME places to live. And when given the opportunity they get their asses out of this facade of a cesspool. There are many other states like Colorado and Vermont..with low taxes and higher standard of living with a sense of community that New Yorkers THINK they have..but it is just a facade..behind a corrupt landlord system.
But keep dreaming the dream!
still here?
What an incredibly bitter and angry ticking time bomb you seem to be. Might want to consider Boerum Hill yourself.
Good point. Having lived on the UWS for over 50 years I have found my neighbors to be largely rather considerate. Stan sounds like the kind of new-comer that tries too hard to portray New Yorkers as uber-aggressive. I’m guessing he is a relatively recent transplant.
Stan – why so nasty?
ScooterStan, I appreciate your loyalty to NYC and the UWS…but you sound like an A-hole. Good-luck, Cynthia. The city will always welcome you back.
Bravo Jack!!! I couldn’t agree with you more! It’s probably because of attitudes of people like ScooterStan that she’s leaving. If so, don’t blame her! Although I wouldn’t leave but that’s just me. Good luck Cynthia and like Jack said the city is always here for you to come back to! Just pay no mind to the Stan behind the curtain! 😀
This mother is totally off-base. To punch an old man for what likely was an accident? This guy has serious anger management issues. And, as another commenter mentioned, black eyes don’t show up right away. It’s possible this is an abused child.
No, for a black eye to really come out purple, yellow and all colors takes at least 12 hours for a hematoma to form. Like I said, something here is not what it seems to be. This family should be “investigated” for possible child abuse that they wanted to blame on an innocent bystander. This “Dad” certainly has anger issues.
Hearing people like you makes me realize how people were burned at the stake long ago. You have ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE to suggest that these parents caused their child’s black eye. The article NEVER STATED that the man punched BECAUSE OF A BLACK EYE. Most PROBABLY, the impact caused the black eye and was quite a big impact since it caused a black eye (not easy) and caused a father to punch a 73 year old man. Use your head and be careful with your words.
Typical UWS brunch day. Worst stop on this line is 66st St. at Lincoln Center. Angry Mozart fans!
“Bach!”
“Handel!”
“BACH!”
“HANDEL!”
I practice martial arts and one of the first things I’ve learned is not to hit girls and old people.
You might feel differently if you felt that an older man (73 is not THAT old, btw) intentionally or very carelessly caused your child’s to suffer a blow so hard that it ended up causing a black eye. Maybe you need to try another martial arts school…
If I thought someone did that to my child accidentally or recklessly, I might call the police or sue – I would not hit him. That is the difference between a civilized adult and a thug.
So you’re defending criminal behavior. Interesting and pathetic.
What sounds very much like an accident, turn into uncontrollable, unwarranted rage. Reminds me of what started the Crown Heights riots. What a disgrace, getting off with a misdemeanor.
UWSHebrew – that’s some serious revisionist history you’re talking… there are no similarities here with the Crown Heights riots, other than human indecency and unnecessary violence.
I raised children on the upper west side and pushed strollers for years. People without kids were frequently hostile when strollers got in their way. Although it wasn’t right to punch the old guy, I can easily see the man push the stroller because it was in his way. I have seen that before. I once saw an old woman get escorted out of Fairway by security because she continuously and blatantly rammed her shopping cart into different people’s strollers. In some instances a parents instinct to protect their children conflicts with decorum of not punching an old man, regardless of how obnoxious he may be.
This I can believe.
Yes, and I’ve had women charge at me with their strollers just expecting me to jump out of their way. I was once literally shoved up against the wall of Filene’s by a woman with a stroller and 3 other young kids because she just expected me to move, except I had nowhere to go. (And I was “keeping right,” she wasn’t. But that’s a whole other issue.) And then when I remarked that it was kind of rude, she went completely of the rails yelling at me on the sidewalk. So, it goes both ways.
People with strollers and small children need more space and more time than others just to navigate through the cramped and congested city. If someone were in a wheelchair and their path of movement required an able bodied person to move would you consider it rude? It is common courtesy and decency to get out of the way of someone who is handicapped or someone who is struggling with a stroller and small children.
Another common courtesy is to say pardon me, excuse me or thank you when someone has to step out of the way for you. I can count one one had the number of times a parent afforded me one of those courtesies. I am tired of parents going down the sidewalk pushing an SUV-sized stroller with their elbows up and glaring at any pedestrian coming their way as if they have no right to be there.
And on another note – when your kids start riding down the sidewalk on scooters, bikes ans skateboards, how about teaching them to say excuse me or pardon me to the pedestrians that have to jump out of their way.
Carry your freaking kid or don’t ride the subway. End of story. This city is not big enough for strollers, especially on the train. People in wheelchairs are NOT kids in strollers. People in wheelchairs don’t even ride the subway, they either take the bus which is better equipped for people with disabilities or they use access-a-ride. You get no sympathy just because you have kids. Parenting is hard but common sense is not. This is a city for adults, and no place is more adult than the subway.
Where is it written that this is a city for adults (and no kids)?
Why is it so hard for all of us to give a little – and when did the importance of raising children become so lost on (some) people?
Er, no. This is a city for adults AND kids, and young people and the elderly, and everyone needs to be civil and accepting of one another, including you.
Wow, I don’t even know where to begin.
1. Taking 4 kids that are clearly too much for you to handle on a walk down Broadway on a busy afternoon is a choice. Being in a wheelchair is a medical necessity. I can’t believe you would even compare the two.
2. When you are the one causing some sort of obstruction, whether it be a stroller, a handtruck, a dog, whatever, but not a wheelchair (see above), it’s on you to be extra careful and considerate. That’s just basic courtesy.
3. Did you even read my comment? The woman charged me, on the “wrong” side of the sidewalk and shoved me into a building. Are you really defending using your child’s means of conveyance as a weapon against oncoming traffic?
FWIW, I’ve had a guy in a wheelchair go off on me because I didn’t get out of his way fast enough. The issue isn’t the wheelchair or the stroller, but the person using it.
For those of you who are obviously not parents – Taking 4 kids on a walk down Broadway on a busy afternoon is not a choice. It means you don’t have a staff of domestic servants on your payroll to watch your children while you go grocery shopping.
Given how crowded the station always is and the narrowness of the platforms, it was obviously an accident on Nachum’s part. I’m a parent and I sympathize with the difficulties of transporting children around the city, but sometimes parents with strollers have too much of a sense of entitlement. And this dad definitely seems to have an anger problem that should be looked into.
Totslly agree…I see lots of Parents expecting everyone to accommodate them. I think that most people are happy to accommodate, but not when it’s expected!
A few points as food for though:
First, I would not be surprised if the older guy had trouble getting out of the train and bumped into the stroller due to “people traffic.” Folks often seek to rush onto the train at 72nd to grab that seat, not letting folks exit first and clogging the door. May not have been the stroller folks, but others, and bumping might not have been the old guys fault. Or the guy may have had to push his way out of the train. I’ve seen both at this station.
Second, no justification for punching an old man, but I would also be curious if words were said. Folks coming off the train at that station are often frustrated when their egress is blocked by aggressive folks trying to get on fast.
Third, read the quote “The impact caused the boy to hit his head on the bar of the stroller, giving him a black eye, according to the sources.” It did not say that he got a black eye right away, or that the black eye set off the dad. They simply said it was the result of the head bang. Perhaps the reporter was demonstrating that this wasn’t a little bump? Again, no justification to hit an old man, but before folks start dialing child services perhaps a little more information is warranted. People are taking some factual leaps in the comments.
Regardless of what’s what, based upon what’s been reported dad shouldn’t have punched an old man hard enough to break “skin on the left side of his face.” Doesn’t sound like his family was being threatened, sounds like he got pissed of and wanted some payback. But there are a lot of details missing.
Last point, to me the takeaway is for folks to show a little courtesy to and patience for one another, especially on a crowded subway platform.
“claimed Kurt Nachum banged into his wife and young son as he got off the train” Is this a case of someone not honoring “out before in” or, in this case, “off before on?” I always think of a car trying to pull into a parking space before the car pulling out is completely out . . .
Another violent whackadoodle looking for someone to take his anger out on. Sorry ma, your husband has issues and your kid did not get a black eye that quickly from this ACCIDENT. Yes, accident.
Don’t people getting off the train go first? End of story.
Do we know that Mr. Nachum was entering the train? It doesn’t say that. For all we know, they were both exiting the train. Maybe he was afraid he wasn’t going to make it before the doors closed. I’ve come really close to missing my stop countless times because of people blocking the door. We all know what it’s like trying to get off a crowded train, especially at that hour, at that godawful station.
The article states, “…claimed Kurt Nachum banged into his wife and young son as he got off the train…” I took this to mean, “I was blocking the door and preventing people from getting off the train by using my child’s stroller as a blockade. You’re welcome.”
I live on the UWS and am well aware of the number of people who believe that having reproduced entitles them to inconvenience anyone and everyone and to show complete disregard for people walking on the right, people standing on the curb waiting for the light to change or people,getting off the subway. Sorry to hear we are now bringing them in from Boerum Hill.
ha. I read it that way too. This dad sounds like an entitled whack job with anger management issues
Yeah, I read it this way too.
Not when someone is getting off too slowly and allowing other people to get the empty seats…
Ahh, New York!
They’re supposed to, but that often doesn’t happen.
Oh, please, Grandma. Pushing your kid’s stroller with no regard for anyone but yourself and your kid is no excuse for violence.
Those damn strollers always in the way because of idiot parents. One case in point, a parent that is waiting to cross the corner sidewalk, but instead is standing at the curb with the damn stroller and the child in it and the stroller is sticking out for the possibility of a car hitting the stroller that’s jutting out. There’s many parents who are idiots of that kind. Maybe the stroller was open in the train car when the parents should have the stroller closed (it’s the law). The fault is on the father and especially the mother who should know better.
Yep – this is the problem, ok. Never mind the nasty old people and their giant shopping carts, the homeless and their shopping carts, the scooters, the wheelchairs, the book vendors.
Just blame the parents and their strollers. I’m sure it’s their intent to hurt their kids by driving them into nasty old people like you!
I’m wondering how the kid hit his head on the bar. There are usually buckles that hold the child back. Possibly the kid wasn’t buckled in, which could have contributed to the situation.
Perhaps you should wait to cast fault until you know the whole story? There is a good chance our lovely 73 year old gentleman wasnt being so courteous. And the Dad likely overreacted.
If it makes anyone feel better, getting into a physical altercation while directly caring for a child is typically grounds for ACS involvement. Might be a bit of a wake up call for the Dad, as throwing punches on the subway is never really OK.
But neither is hitting an innocent child in a stroller.
Debbie D, are you saying that if the other man accidentally (even a stupid accident) or even purposely knocked the stroller, the right thing to do was to hit him?
Even if it was purposeful – if the man is not still attacking, then there is no excuse for the violent response. Prevent him from leaving so you can call the police, maybe; hit him? No; that is assault.
Well said.
The stroller was bumped .the kid wasn’t hit…there’s a big difference.
“Lenin Cancel” ? With a name like that, you sure this is not a hoax? (Is Stalin Erase next up?)
Any reasonable person who has major anger management issues and a propensity for violence. You have the right to fend off attackers but that right ends when the assault stops. Punching someone when they are not actively aggressing you is not okay. This man should have focused on assessing his child’s possible injuries and less on unleashing vengeance on a senior citizen.
Lenin got mad because Kurt was stallin’…
One of the comments says something about strollers having to be folded up on the subway as it’s the law. Wondering if this is actually true? I can’t seem to find any info verifying this online and would love to know. Thanks!
I found this story from 2009 which coincidentally happened on 72nd Street: http://www.nycitynewsservice.com/2009/06/push-to-fold-strollers-on-trains/
I’ve never seen anyone fold up a stroller and just assumed that a child was safer buckled up in a seat. If parents have to fold up the strollers and no seats are available then are they expected to carry a baby or hang on to a child while standing and also managing the stroller? Just curious. I haven’t been on the subway with a child since 1981 and I didn’t have a stroller. I was standing with a 4 year old hanging on to my leg and carrying a 2 year old. When we got off at our stop I noticed that the 2 year old’s shoes had been stolen right off his feet. Good ol’ days, lol.
I WOULD LIKED TO HAVE PUNCHED THE GUY WHO DID A SHOULDER BUTT, LIKE A FOOTBALL PLAYER, ON ME BEFORE I COULD GET OUT OF HIS WAY. HE WANTED TO GET OFF THE TRAIN. I’M A GRANDMOTHER AND IT WAS JUST LIKE HE PUNCHED ME. WHAT KIND OF PERSON DOES THAT?
PROBABLY THE SAME KIND OF PERSON THAT SCREAMS IN A COMMENTS SECTION
If a older man pushed my 2 yr old son and wife with intent and caused my son’s face to hit a metal bar, your damn right the old man deserves what is coming to him.
Mind you I have no ‘anger’ issues or history of violence as some others assume this dad had here. I will first and foremost protect my family instead of just brushing it off…
Apparently the DA didn’t agree.
I think the prosecutor did agree – he is prosecuting the aggressive dad, not the old man.
EricaC
I’m referring to comment #24 above. The DA did not agree that it’s okay to hit people to defend your family.
:-
Lenin could have landed in a gulag if the 73 year old would have been more seriously injured and he may yet land in the red if there is a lawsuit..
May I make a snarky and probably ignorant comment that I can’t resist? The punchers name says it all and suggests an entitled hipster type. Having said that, punching a 73 year old in the face could cause him to fall and sustain a more serious injury and even death. Lenin could have landed in jail and still may land in the red (ha ha) financially if there is a law suit.
Keep in mind that the mother who gave Lenin his name not only defended his assault on the 73-year-old, but insisted that “Any reasonable human being would have done the same.”
Entitlement is communicated from one generation to the next.
I thought the same thing. “Lenin” from Boerum Hill? Really.
Obviously, I assume that the older man bumped into the stroller by accident. Obviously, I’m sorry the little boy suffered a black eye.
But I am sick to death of these hipster parents who think that this is their world and the rest of us are just taking up space.
OMG! I can’t believe this….. They should lock that father up to keep the community safe. I was under the impression that when in the subway system children should be taken out of the stroller and held, and the stroller folded, is this not true??
If that’s the rule, nobody follows it. But if you take your kid in a stroller into a busy subway station you’re taking a risk.
It is not true. But, bus drivers do ask you to do this.
My favorite part of this discussion is the anedote about the little old lady ramming her cart into strollers randomly in Fairway. Such wanton anger!
Cancel’s mother spoke up for him: “That was his child. Any reasonable human being would have done the same.”
I guess we need to redefine “reasonable”.
Whenever I start to feel better about the world, I read the Westside Rag, and that sets me straight. Sigh.
MJ, I agree that it is disappointing to read bad news. On the other hand, being informed provides us with the opportunity to right those wrongs.
Things just can’t feel better indefinitely without our efforts. Thanks for reading.
If I actually saw an improvement in behavior, I might agree with you.
MJ again I sympathize with your experience, however another good reason to continue reading is to find who needs help or support. One or two direct actions will definitely reap a good result (Results Guaranteed!).
I would bet hard that the family with the child were standing right in front of the doors, as most riders do, making it nearly impossible for the ones exiting the train,to get off. The man probably,in an annoyed fashion,pushed past the stroller, which he wouldn’t have had to had the family stood to the side, not in front. This is just my bet.
I am a parent though my kids are post stroller age. A few things…
No one should be punching others.
Regardless of what the father Mr. Cancel thought had happened, he himself further endangered his child by punching Mr. Nachum. Suppose Mr. Nachum had a gun and retaliated?
There are a lot more parents with very big strollers on the subways these days and – IMO – seeming pretty “entitled.” These strollers are noticeably bigger than classic umbrella strollers. And in a crowded subway car, it feels dangerous to have a big stroller that blocks passengers from entering and exiting.
BTW there is a Lenin Cancel on FB. Same person? Interestingly his FB profile photo is of a child (about 2) in what looks like a Ninja costume and the child is holding a toy sword.
I’ll be judgemental here and say that it says something about a parent who decides to put a 2-year-old in an “action” or “violent” character costume with a sword. It is not like a older child who wants an action character costume to fit in with his friends. A 2-year-old would typically be just fine in some sort of benevolent animal etc costume.
can you expand on this idea of older guys carrying guns? do you think it is prevalent?, suggested?…or necessary
Nothing particularly about older people carrying guns – just that on the subway, anything can happen and IMO the parent would be most prudent to move away and/or try to calm if not possible to move. Punching not good on many levels plus there is always the possibility of retaliation…
black eye from a bump on a stroller bar? i don’t think so. first of all, you don’t immediately get a black eye after a bump… it takes at least several minutes because it is caused by the blood pooling under the skin. soooo… i would definitely take a look at whether the father with the quick fists and the questionable upbringing might have been using his kid as a punching bag.