NEW YORK (PIX11) – The MTA worker killed in the New York City subway on Wednesday was a beloved father of six children who was described by his grieving family as “the glue that held everything together.”
Hilarion Joseph, a track worker assigned to flagging duties in the subway, was fatally struck by a D train near the 34th Street–Herald Square station in Manhattan shortly after midnight, according to Transport Workers Union Local 100.
The 57-year-old somehow got dragged under a northbound D train just south of the subway station, officials said. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.
“These are dangerous jobs that we ask our people to do day in and day out,” NYC Transit President Richard Davey said.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team to investigate the incident. NYPD officials said no criminality was suspected.
“There was work taking place, scheduled work. The fellow was flagging, and it’s very much still under investigation on what went wrong.” MTA Chair Janno Lieber said. “Our folks were at the hospital last night with the worker’s family. Obviously they’re very much in our thoughts right now.”
Joseph’s family is also searching for answers following his tragic death.
His family members said they were planning on going to feed homeless people on Saturday, an idea that Joseph came up with as a way to honor the one-year anniversary of his mother’s passing. His family said that’s the kind of person Joseph was, one who had so much more to give in life.
“He touched me on my shoulder and he said, ‘Sis, I will see you later. I love you,’” said Angela Joseph, the sister of Hilarion Joseph, recalling the last thing her brother said to her Tuesday night before leaving for his night shift.
The next time Angela Joseph saw her brother was in the hospital the following day.
“I just touched his head and I kissed him. I held his chest, but the body was cold,” Angela Joseph said.
Jewel Joseph, one of Hilarion Joseph’s six children, said she will be “heartbroken forever.”
“My youngest brother, he's 5 years old, and all day he's been saying, ‘Juju, daddy went to work, daddy went to work.’ He doesn't know that daddy’s not coming home from work. He’s not going to see him again,” Jewel Joseph said.
Jewel Joseph said her father was just days away from marking one year working for the MTA, a job he badly wanted and one that came at just the right time.
“He prayed for this job. He prayed hard all year last year to get this MTA job,” Jewel Joseph said. “The day my grandmother passed away, before she passed he whispered in her ear, ‘Mommy, I got the job.’ And a few hours later she passed away.”
Now, Hilarion Joseph’s family must figure out how to continue without him.
“Honestly, he was like the glue that held everything together,” said Alexandra Phillip, Hilarion Joseph’s niece.
“I'm never going to see my dad again, never going to hug him, so hold on to the ones you do have,” Jewel Joseph said.
The family wants to know how a dream job turned into such a nightmare.
“I’m searching for answers. I need answers. What happened?” Angela Joseph said.
Hilarion Joseph’s wife was flying back from Saint Lucia on Wednesday after visiting the Caribbean country for her own mother’s funeral.
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