The family of a man who was brutally killed when he was pushed onto the tracks of an oncoming train in East Harlem earlier this week is speaking out about the tragedy.

Janna Volz is still in shock over the killing of her father, 54-year-old Jason Volz, which occurred in the city she says he loved with all his heart.

"He was in love with the city and New York lifestyle and architecture," she said.

Jason Volz, who was working as a carpenter and living in the Bronx, was pushed onto the tracks of an oncoming northbound 4 train in East Harlem shortly before 7 p.m. on Monday. Authorities say the train operator was unable to stop in time.

Police arrested 24-year-old Carlton McPherson, who was later arraigned on a second-degree murder charge.

McPherson’s mother, Octavia Scouras, told The New York Times her son had been hospitalized for mental health treatment at least twice. He was facing multiple charges including assault for another incident in October and pleaded not guilty in that case.

Jason Volz's uncle, Edward Volz, a New York native now living in Florida, said the situation highlights the challenges the city faces with how it handles the mentally ill and unhoused population.

"But October 31, he was in court, he got arrested for doing something, mental health issue," he said. "Follow up, court dates, he fell through the system and the system failed me, our family, and it failed his family."

The tragic irony, Jason Volz's daughter said, is that her father suffered from his own mental illness stemming from issues with addiction, but was two years sober when he was killed.

"My father has spent so much time in the city, and at a time he was homeless himself and lived on the train and survived," she said.

"His goal was to become sober and really work on his mental health," she added. "And he did and I was so proud of him."

However, she said her father would never have harmed anyone, no matter what he was going through.

"We all have our own cross to bear," said. "And it is a tragedy, because at his lowest, he would never. He would never put that on anyone else and it's really hard to understand when others do that."

Mayor Eric Adams launched an effort to tackle crime among the mentally ill and homeless population by deploying more police, mental health and social service professionals into the system, as well as involuntarily hospitalizing some. The initiative has faced backlash by advocates for the mentally ill.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.