New York: A 33-year-old woman in the US faces up to 25 years in prison for pleading guilty to pushing an Indian man to death in front of a subway train in 2012.  Erika Menendez, a resident of Queens, pleaded guilty here before Queens Supreme Court Justice Gregory Lasak for shoving Sunando Sen, 46, to death as the subway train entered the station on the night of December 27 2012.

Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said Menendez had admitted committing “what is every subway commuter's worst nightmare - being suddenly and senselessly pushed into the path of an oncoming train.”

He said Sen was shoved from behind and had no chance to defend himself.

Lasak has indicated he would sentence her to between 22 and 25 years in prison on April 29.

According to the criminal complaint, Menendez was observed talking to herself and pacing back and forth on the subway platform around 8 pm.

Sen was on the platform waiting for the train's arrival when suddenly Menendez approached him from behind and shoved him onto the tracks as the train came into the station.  Sen was struck by the train and died of multiple blunt force trauma.

Menendez had later told authorities that her hatred for “Hindus and Muslims” prompted her to push Sen off the subway platform.

She had also said that even though the attack on Sen was too sudden, he had still tried to save himself briefly before he fell onto the tracks.

Sen, an immigrant from India had lived in Queens for years and had opened his own printing and copying business near Columbia University.