Crime & Safety

Man Tried to Push Kids In Front of Moving Train, Cops Say

David Howard, of Wyckoff, was arrested Monday afternoon and charged with attempted murder after mother and grandmother of Glen Rock children tackled Howard to the ground and held him until cops arrived, authorities say

have charged a Wyckoff man with attempted murder after he allegedly tried to push two Glen Rock boys in front of a moving train at the Ramsey Main Street train station, Police Chief Bryan Gurney said Tuesday.

David Howard, 48, was arrested Monday afternoon after allegedly grabbing two passengers waiting for the train and “moving them towards the train tracks while the train was still moving towards the station,” Gurney said. Howard was charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault and aggravated assault on a police officer, according to Ramsey Police.

The passengers, 7- and 9-year-old brothers from Glen Rock, were waiting for the train with their mother and grandmother when the two got up to get a better view of the approaching train, police said.

Find out what's happening in Ridgewood-Glen Rockwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Howard allegedly grabbed the 7-year-old in a headlock and the 9-year-old by the shoulder and dragged them toward the train, Gurney said.

The boys’ "mother and grandmother immediately were able to stop Howard from moving the children towards the track. The children were able to break away from Howard and the mother and grandmother tackled Howard and held him until the police arrived,” Gurnery said.

Find out what's happening in Ridgewood-Glen Rockwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Howard appeared to be intoxicated and possibly under the influence of other drugs at the time of the incident, police said.

Ramsey officer Thomas Banta, Lt. David Stitz and Sgt. Timothy Flanagan responded to the scene Labor Day afternoon. During the arrest, Howard allegedly spit in Banta’s face, police said.

Howard has been remanded to the Bergen County Jail on $500,000 bail.

The incident is still under investigation by the Ramsey PD and the New Jersey Transit Police Department, under the command of Chief Christopher Trucillo.

Have a question or news tip? Contact editor James Kleimann at James.Kleimann@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox every morning, sign up for our daily newsletter.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.