A disturbed man threatening strangers on a Manhattan subway train died after getting into a brawl with the wrong passenger — a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who put him in a chokehold, cops said Tuesday.
The 30-year-old victim was on an F train heading toward the Broadway-Lafayette station in NoHo when he began acting erratically around 2:30 p.m. Monday, passengers told police.
He yelled and threw garbage at commuters, prompting an argument with the former Marine, a 24-year-old Queens man, cops said. The quarrel turned into a brawl as the train entered the station.
During the fight, the Marine put the victim in a chokehold and tried to restrain him, police sources said.
The victim fell unconscious on the train and was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital, where he died.
The former Marine was taken in for questioning but released without charges as the investigation continues. As he held the victim in the chokehold he asked witnesses to call 911, police sources said.
A city Medical Examiner autopsy has been slated to determine what killed the victim, who had a lengthy criminal history with 40 previous arrests. Cops were also looking for him for an assault he allegedly committed in November 2021.
The victim has a documented mental health history, cops added.