Joe Lynskey GoFundMe raises over $120, 000 as NYC DJ suffers broken skull in subway shoving incident

A GoFundMe campaign for a 45-year-old New York City DJ named Joseph Lynskey has collected over $120,000 since he was shoved onto subway tracks in a violent incident on New Year's Eve just as a train was about to arrive.

The attack occurred at the West 18th Street station in Chelsea, where Lynskey was waiting for the 1 train. He sustained severe injuries from a fractured skull, four broken ribs, and a ruptured spleen. Lynskey is fortunately alive only due to the circumstances of how he fell—he happened to fall alongside instead of underneath the train.

The campaign is spearheaded by Jonjon Battles who wrote on the fundraising platform:

“Our friend, colleague, family member, and amazing human Joe Lynskey, was pushed in front of a NYC subway on New Year's Eve day. Somehow, he miraculously survived, and we are all beyond thankful that he is still a part of our lives. In typical Joe fashion, he is in good spirits and looking forward to getting out of the hospital but he has a long road ahead of him.”

His sister, Jennifer Lynskey, wrote in a Facebook post:

“Miraculously, he survived the horrific attack, but he suffered many injuries and remains hospitalized in NY. Anyone who’s ever met Joe knows he’s one of the kindest, most thoughtful, and caring humans out there.”

“His wonderful friends and colleagues have set-up a GoFundMe to help him with medical and other expenses. Joe needs to be focused on healing and not stressed about how he’s going to survive financially after this senseless act.”

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Joseph Lynskey's accident

The Telegraph reports that on December 31, 2024, Lynskey was standing close to the platform edge when Kamel Hawkins, a 23-year-old man from Brooklyn, approached him and pushed him onto the tracks.

Footage posted online shows the exact moment of the attack as Hawkins attacks Lynskey without warning.

As the train was approaching the station, Lynskey fell into the gap between the tracks to avoid being a head-on impact casualty. In swift response, first responders rushed him to Bellevue Hospital, with initial reports being critical but had since improved and stabilized.

His brother, Christopher Lynskey, told The Daily News that Joseph is now responsive. He is hopeful that he can recover fully after the incident.

“He's busted up a little bit, but he's going to make a full recovery.”

Friends rallied behind him and initiated a GoFundMe account for him, which in a matter of a few hours, exceeded its initial aim of $50,000 to pay medical expenses and support Lynskey during his recovery period.

Hawkins was arrested within hours of the attack and charged with attempted murder and multiple accounts of assault in Manhattan criminal court. The judge ordered him to be held without bail until his next court appearance, scheduled for January 6.

Prosecutors pointed out that Hawkins has a violent history, including some pending charges of previous assaults in Brooklyn, as per the report in The Telegraph. As per the news outlet, he attacked a policeman in 2019 and was subsequently charged with assault.

He also faces an “assault and weapons possession charge” from last year, The Telegraph added.

On January 1, he appeared in Manhattan criminal court, where he pleaded not guilty.

Shamel Hawkins, Hawkin’s father, told the New York Post that his son had been “acting weird” lately.

“Lately he’s been going through something, some mental issues. We think somebody put something in his weed.”