NEW YORK CITY: Gay Man Attempts Suicide After Child Porn Arrest

New York City resident Shawn Klein, who wed his partner atop the Empire State Building in February after winning the landmark's Valentine's Day contest, yesterday attempted suicide by throwing himself in front of a subway train after being charged with possession of child pornography.

Shawn Klein was in critical condition at New York Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell, where he was taken from the 23rd St. station on the No. 6 line, authorities and sources said. The North Dakota-raised hospital administrator was struck by an uptown train at about 3:20 p.m., authorities said. Police sources said he jumped in front of the train. e was undergoing surgery Tuesday night, a relative said. “The doctors lost him once on the table and they brought him back,” said Eileen Blanchard, a sister reached by phone. “That’s all I know. We’re just waiting.” The apparent suicide attempt followed Klein’s release from jail Tuesday, a day after the 52-year-old was charged with possession of child pornography, according to court and Correction Department records. He was charged Monday with one count of possessing a sexual performance by a child, a felony, in a Nov. 27 incident. A defense attorney could not be reached Tuesday night.

Klein and his partner were the first gay couple to be married as part the Empire State's famed and long-running Valentine's Day tradition.  A second gay couple followed minutes later.  The weddings were covered by the national press.