Man Thrown In Front of NYC Subway Train, Video Shows

An unsuspecting man in New York waiting for a subway train was thrown in front of it ... with the brutal incident caught on security footage.

Video is circulating online showing the incident which took place mid-day Tuesday ... where an unidentified 45-year-old man -- who appears to be looking at his phone -- was standing near the edge of the track at the 18th Street station.

The clip is somewhat graphic ... it shows a hooded individual walk behind the victim, before circling around and shoving him in front of the train. The train then runs over the man.

Other people were in the station when this went down ... and, video shows them running away from the scene, away from the hooded person.

We're told one person is in custody though specific charges have not been revealed yet. The victim is in critical condition.

Police are saying this was a random attack ... and, the platform was closed and evacuated during the investigation.

This isn't the first crime of its kind around NYC subway stations ... and, it follows an especially heinous incident involving 61-year-old Debrina Kawam of Toms River, New Jersey, who was allegedly lit on fire by a man.

A suspect, Sebastian Zapeta, has been charged with first-degree and second-degree murder.

In fact, crime has recently become so bad that the volunteer vigilante squad the Guardian Angels -- who rose to prominence in the late 1970s and early 1980s -- have resumed patrols of New York's subways, donning their signature red berets and jackets once again.