New York woman set on fire inside metro car, attacker arrested

The attacker approached the victim as the train was approaching the station, used a lighter to ignite her clothing, and within seconds, she was engulfed in flames

A man in New York City was arrested for setting a woman on fire inside a subway car. New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the incident as "one of the most depraved acts one human could commit against another," and she called the victim an "innocent New Yorker."

 

The incident happened in the early morning on Sunday on a train going to Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn. According to Commissioner Tisch, the attacker approached the seated victim as the train was approaching the station, used a lighter to ignite her clothing, and within seconds, she was engulfed in flames.

 

Officers on duty at the upper level of the station reported smoke and rushed to investigate. They found the woman, covered in fire, inside the train car. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

 

Visuals shared by onlookers on social media showed the woman engulfed in flames as the accused sat on a bench beside the train watching here. Business Standard is not sharing the video due to its graphic nature.

 

Responding officers with body-worn cameras managed to take photographs of the accused, which led to his identification and arrest.

 

NYPD Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta confirmed that there was no interaction or prior connection between the victim and the suspect, stating, "We don’t believe they knew each other."

The victim's identity has not yet been released

New York City Mayor Eric Adams praised the people who assisted authorities in finding the suspect. "This kind of depraved behavior has no place in our subways. We are committed to ensuring swift justice for all victims of violent crime," he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). The mayor also condoled with the family of the victim, terming the crime "senseless."