A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict a man with a Santa Claus-like bushy white beard – and a head of hair to match — for shoving an elderly stranger onto the subway tracks in Harlem in front his horrified wife, prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Rudralall Baldeo is accused of pushing Shou Kuan Lin, 72, onto the tracks at the West 145th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue subway station last Saturday.
It’s unclear what the homeless 57-year-old’s motive was but he downed four or five beers and was sloshed before the assault, he told cops.
The indictment charges won’t become public until the sinister “Santa” is arraigned in Manhattan Supreme Court. But he is criminally charged with attempted murder and assault raps.
The case was bolstered Monday after investigators tracked down a witness who told cops he saw Baldeo allegedly knock Lin onto the northbound A and C tracks, The Post exclusively reported.
“The problem was that they didn’t have a witness at first to support the attempted murder charge. Now they got one. He’s screwed,” said a law enforcement source.
Baldeo has no known history of violence or psychiatric treatment, cops said.
Lin, who suffered a fractured skull, is still listed in critical condition at St. Luke’s Hospital Center. Two bystanders may have saved Lin’s life by lifting him to the platform before the arrival of an oncoming train.