John Reszetnik pushed a stranger onto the subway tracks of a Toronto subway station two years ago, killing him –– and last week Reszetnik admitted in court that he had mistaken the victim for his landlord who evicted him, according to reports.Reszetnik, 5
John Reszetnik pushed a stranger onto the subway tracks of a Toronto subway station two years ago, killing him –– and last week Reszetnik admitted in court that he had mistaken the victim for his landlord who evicted him, according to reports.
Reszetnik, 57, pleaded guilty earlier this month to the second-degree murder of 73-year-old, Yosuke "Yoshi" Hayahara. He admitted to pushing him onto the subway tracks at the Bloor-Yonge subway station in downtown Toronto, the Toronto Sun reported. In the court hearing last week, he admitted he was convinced the victim was his landlord.
Reszetnik said he first noticed Hayahara on the subway platform on June 18, 2018, around 10 a.m. He then stood behind the stranger, waiting for the moment to push him in front of a moving train, according to reports.
The station was evacuated and put on lockdown immediately, CBC reported.
Reszetnik was reportedly one of the last people to leave the station. He then approached a firefighter sitting nearby the station, and told him, “I am the one that pushed him,” according to the Toronto Sun. “Mental illness.”
He then confessed to a police officer also nearby. “I did it. I pushed him. I killed him," the Sun reported.
He was arrested on the scene by a police officer, but because the victim was still alive at the time, he was only charged with aggravated assault, according to the outlet.
His charge was later upgraded to murder after the victim died.
Reszetnik reportedly later told officers that he "regretted" what he did, according to reports.
“It seems like mental health played a significant factor,” Justice John McMahon said during the Zoom hearing, according to the Sun.
McMahon has encouraged Reszetnik to share his mental health history to "ensure that this never happens again and to ensure that you get the help you need," the outlet reported.
A sentencing hearing for Reszetnik was scheduled for March 23.
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