Miguel, 1991
acrylic on canvas, 24” x 56”
In 1976 a four-year old girl fell onto the tracks at the 86th Street and Lexington Avenue subway station. Twenty-year old Miguel Maisonet and another young man jumped onto the tracks, each about forty feet away on opposite sides of the child. As they both ran toward her, they realized that a train was approaching the station. Seeing that the other man would reach the girl first, Miguel jumped back onto the platform and the man scooped the girl into his arms. With just seconds to spare, the man ducked into the safety of the crawl space beneath the platform. The girl was saved, and both Samaritans were honored by the City of New York for their bravery. Miguel, who was unemployed at the time of the incident, was given a job in the MTA mailroom and, in 1991, when this painting was created, he was the Senior Information Services Representative at the MTA.
acrylic on canvas, 24” x 56”
In 1976 a four-year old girl fell onto the tracks at the 86th Street and Lexington Avenue subway station. Twenty-year old Miguel Maisonet and another young man jumped onto the tracks, each about forty feet away on opposite sides of the child. As they both ran toward her, they realized that a train was approaching the station. Seeing that the other man would reach the girl first, Miguel jumped back onto the platform and the man scooped the girl into his arms. With just seconds to spare, the man ducked into the safety of the crawl space beneath the platform. The girl was saved, and both Samaritans were honored by the City of New York for their bravery. Miguel, who was unemployed at the time of the incident, was given a job in the MTA mailroom and, in 1991, when this painting was created, he was the Senior Information Services Representative at the MTA.