The ex-Broadway dancer who infamously grinned after allegedly shoving a 76-year-old to his death down a subway staircase told cops he “freaked out” when he pushed the grandpa because he was “scared,” new court documents revealed Wednesday.
“I was just walking, and I got scared because I heard an argument about me,” alleged shover Rhamell Burke, 32, bizarrely told cops after being arrested for the May 7 killing.
Burke also claimed that “muscle spasms” caused him to deliver a fatal toss to beloved NYC school teacher Ross Falzone at the 18th Street station in Chelsea.
“I was walking ,walking, walking and I freaked out,” he said.
Burke, who infamously flashed a sinister grin at a prior court appearance, pleaded not guilty after being arragined Wednesday on murder charges before Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Ann Thompson.
Burke told police that he “just kept walking” after sending Falzone to his death on May 7, according to documents.
“That was it. I was just like, walking, pushed, and that was it,” the ex-dancer said.
Court papers also uncovered a mad tirade Burke went on after detectives asked how the fatal shove made him feel.
“I really don’t like doing things like this. Torment versus torture. It’s torment to be out every day,” Burke strangely said, “It’s torture not to know…. Torment is when you wake up and be like ‘I need to wake up every day, like I just need to wake up.’”
Cops checked Burke into the psych ward at Bellevue Hospital as an “emotionally disturbed person” the day of the alleged murder.
He was released roughly an hour later, leading to the fatal push later that same day.
Three Port Authority cops were injured in his arrest.
Burke had a promising career as a dancer, getting some Broadway gigs for a short period, according to a friend.
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The friend told The Post that Burke, a repeat offender, had his downward spiral around the same time as the COVID pandemic shutdowns.
His victim, Ross Falzone, was remembered for his kindness and his love for live performances at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
“Ross was a dear, gentle man who enjoyed a career as a social worker for special needs children,” a friend of Falzone said.
