The homeless man who allegedly shoved a woman into the path of a moving Manhattan train made a chilling confession — telling cops, “I did it because I wanted to,” a court heard Tuesday.
Markeese Brazelis, 26, brazenly admitted to tossing the 23-year-old victim into an incoming A train at the 168th Street station shortly after he was arrested for the savage Monday morning attack, prosecutors said at his Manhattan Criminal Court arraignment.
“I pushed her into the train because I was high and I was mad,’” Brazelis told cops, according to Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Jessica Berman.
“I did it because I wanted to,” he allegedly said.
Prosecutors said the unhinged man should be held on $150,000 bail — arguing he posed a danger to the public as this was his third arrest in the subway system in just over a week.
Brazelis was busted on Jan. 19 for entering the prohibited area of the Bergen Street subway station — only to be released and then arrested four days later for allegedly grabbing a woman’s butt as she stood next to her partner on a subway platform, according to prosecutors.
Both cases, which included charges not bail eligible, allowed Brazelis to remain free to escalate his subway deviance — culminating in the unprovoked attack at the Washington Heights station around 9 a.m. January 27, prosecutors said.
The maniac didn’t even exchange a word with his victim before throwing her into the train, according to the ADA.
“He poses a threat to strangers he encounters on the subway platforms and he engages in criminal conduct despite being completely unprovoked,” Berman said.
Judge Janet McDonnell opted not to set bail, remanding Brazelis into custody as he awaits trial — noting there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest on a probation violation from a conviction in Philadelphia.
Brazelis’ attorney, Jeffrey Linehan, said his client had been homeless for at least five years while suffering from mental health conditions, including “visual hallucinations.”
The victim, who suffered bruising and abrasions all over her body, recounted the attack on her Instagram, urging New Yorkers to remain vigilant while riding the subway.
“I was trying to get away from him, when he decided to shove me into the moving train,” the victim’s post read. “I’m glad the front of the train was past me or else I wouldn’t be alive.”
She added: “While I am hurt, it could have been worse. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE STAY ALERT.”
The MTA’s chief security officer, Michael Kemper, said in a statement Monday that he was dumbfounded how Brazelis was allowed to remain on the street after the two recent run-ins with police before the attack.
“It’s beyond comprehension how this menace can be arrested two different times … only to be turned loose to cause more mayhem,” Kemper said.
Brazelis was charged with attempted assault in the first degree and assault in the second degree in the latest case.
He is due back in court on January 31.
