A 14-month-old girl was hospitalized after falling onto commuter train tracks in West Philadelphia.
 
Surveillance video shows a woman on the platform with her daughter in a stroller at the 56th Street SEPTA station around 1 p.m. Wednesday. Suddenly, the stroller slowly rolls toward the eastbound track and topples over.

"What it looks like to us is that the mother became distracted by something, didn't apply the brake on the stroller and the stroller was able to move off the platform and onto the tracks,'' said Scott Sauer, director of system safety for SEPTA.

The stroller came to rest on the outer rail, which carried no charge. The woman jumped off the platform to free the baby and hand her off to a man standing on the platform above.

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As the mother rescued her child, another woman ran to an emergency call box and hit the button, alerting SEPTA controllers of the incident.

The controllers then alerted an approaching train that was only one station away.

If the woman had not pressed the emergency button, the mother and her child could have had less than a minute to get off the tracks before the next train arrived.

Police say another good Samaritan hopped down the tracks to help the mother up. 
 
The child was taken to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for treatment of a cut on her forehead but is expected to be okay.

Sauer said during a news conference that watching the video was "gut-wrenching.'' 
 
"With the stroller moving at such a slow rate of speed, you know, you want to call out to someone, 'Hey, the stroller's moving! Somebody grab the stroller,''' Sauer said.

SEPTA police said no charges will be filed but the accident serves as a reminder for other riders to lock stroller brakes when waiting on platforms.

PHILADELPHIA -- A woman escaped with only cuts and bruises after being thrown onto subway tracks during a vicious attack in Philadelphia.

The assailant and the 23-year-old victim were alone at the SEPTA subway station in the city's Chinatown on Tuesday afternoon. After being asked to help light a cigarette, the woman was assaulted, dragged onto the landing and then thrown onto the tracks.

SEPTA Chief of Police Thomas Nestel said the woman was fortunate to walk away with only minor injuries.

"It's horrifying," Nestel added. " When you see that happen, you think the worst. We all know that there is a tremendous electric source. You touch that, you die."

Nestel said he decided to not immediately release the video and culprit's description because the attacker had worn a very distinct jacket and he was confident that was their best lead.

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He accepted that was risky approach, but "it's also risky to put that information out. He gets rid of that coat and I lose my best chance to get a dangerous man off the streets."

The suspect was nabbed by a SEPTA officer two days later. Police said he was wearing the same jacket and was carrying the victim's cellphone.

Nestel praised the arresting officer:

Related:

Raw video of subway attack from NBC10

Suspect in deadly NYC subway push blames victim

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