Brave passengers waiting on the platform were alerted by the man's wailing and leapt to his aid but, unable to move him, they were forced to clamber back to the safety of the platform.
And, while they attempted to stop the train as it thundered into the station, it was too late - and they looked away in horror as the emotionally disturbed man disappeared underneath the carriages.
Yet, through some stroke of luck, the man survived.
Watch the shocking footage for yourself below:
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority confirmed that the incident happened in December last year.
He told Gothamist: 'The male originally refused medical aid but was forced to go to Columbia Presbyterian hospital as an emotionally disturbed person.'
The spokesman said that the man who refused to go on the tracks to help had made the right decision, adding: 'Customers who witness someone on the tracks should immediately contact a MTA employee or police officer.'
The person who filmed the footage also explained why he did not jump on the tracks to help lift the man to safety, revealing that he had been too drunk to help at the time of the incident.