Family remember 'sweet' woman, 74, pushed to death in front of train by San Francisco homeless man

Police arrested a homeless man after he allegedly pushed a 74-year-old woman to her death off a subway platform and into the tracks in San Fransisco , California.

Corazon Dandan died hours after the incident in the hospital. She was from the Philippines and was one of eight siblings. Her family spoke out in her memory after the tragic moment she fell: "For sure she is beautiful," her brother, Rene Dandan said. "Sweet, kind, loving."

Corazon died while waiting for the same BART train she had used for decades, on her way home from another shift as a telephone operator at the Hilton’s Parc 55 in downtown San Francisco.

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For years, she had worked and saved enough money to buy a house in the Philippines, a dream she'll never see through, her family says. Sadly her nephew, Alvin Dandan, got the call from the hospital.

"It was Aunt Cora’s phone calling me. So, my heart dropped, and I said, ‘What is going on?’ and, ‘Who are you?’ and, ‘Where is my aunt?'" he said. Alvin told WBRC that he was "in shock." He then had to call his uncle and let him know the news. His uncle, Rene Dandan, said, "He is already crying. He told me Cora died. Somebody pushed her in the train."

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Corazon, who was called Tita Cora by her nieces and nephews, appeared to have a close relationship with Alvin, helping him offset his medical school bills along with the education of several other relatives.

Law enforcement officials said Trevor Belmont, 49, who was promptly arrested, had just committed the BART's first homicide of 2024. The alleged perpetrator, who's also known as Hoak Taing, was taken into custody on the Powell Street Station platform.

Belmont struck around 11.06 p.m. Corazon reportedly banged her head on the Millbrae-bound train as it arrived at the station when she fell onto the tracks.

She was quickly transported to San Francisco General Hospital by the fire department, but despite their best efforts, she later died due to her severe injuries, as reported by the police.

“It doesn’t really make any difference to us. It won’t bring her back,” Alvin Dandan said. “Are we angry? There is no point. I saw the person. It’s a mentally ill person. It wasn’t racially motivated, I don’t think.”

Corazon was a resident of San Mateo County. "Great does not even define what I think this woman is," her nephew, Alvin, emotionally expressed over a phone call on Tuesday. "I wouldn't be here and a lot of my cousins wouldn't be here. ... She put a lot of people through school."

Corazon made her way to the US from the Philippines in the 1980s "as a single, independent woman" and commuted to the hotel where she worked using BART daily. Alvin shared that she also held a position at the Westin St. Francis near Union Square for several decades before retiring from the hotel.

"She sounded chipper," he said, referring to a few text messages they had exchanged earlier that day. Corazon seemed to relish the social aspect of her job. Despite being well past retirement age and not needing the extra income, as she was a divorced woman with no children, she continued working. "She just loved working and being around younger people," Alvin revealed.

The auntie consistently ignored warnings from family members about riding the BART late at night, pointing out how unsafe the transit system was. In a statement given to The San Francisco Standard, Peter Hart, general manager at Parc 55, said the hotel's staff was "deeply saddened by the tragic passing of a longtime hotel Team Member and a dear colleague."

"She made a lasting impact on so many of our guests and Team Members and will be greatly missed by everyone who knew her," Hart expressed. "We extend our sincerest condolences to her family and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time."