Woman Dies After Being Set on Fire Aboard NYC Subway

 

Man Arrested After Woman Set on Fire on Brooklyn Subway Train

A man has been arrested in connection with the death of a woman who was set on fire on a subway train in Brooklyn.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch called the incident "one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being."

According to Tisch, the woman was on a stationary F train heading to Brooklyn when a man approached her and used a lighter to set her clothing ablaze. The victim tragically died at the scene.

The suspect was apprehended later that day after a group of high school students provided a tip-off, leading authorities to arrest him as he rode the subway.

Woman Dies After Being Set on Fire on Brooklyn Subway, Police Investigate Motive

Police reported that the woman, whose identity has not been released, was aboard a subway train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn around 7:30 AM local time (12:30 GMT) when a man approached her.

Authorities said she appeared "motionless" when she was set on fire, though detectives are still trying to determine whether she was asleep at the time. There was no apparent interaction between the two before the attack, and police do not believe they knew each other.

The man exited the train as officers on patrol in the station responded to the smoke. "Officers were on patrol on an upper level of that station, smelled and saw smoke, and went to investigate," said Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. "What they saw was a person standing inside the train car, fully engulfed in flames." 

Police are working to identify the victim and determine the motive behind the attack.

Suspect Arrested After Woman Set on Fire on NYC Subway, Thanks to Tips from Teens

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch revealed that, unbeknownst to responding officers, the suspect remained at the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car.

She explained that the officers, using body-worn cameras, were able to capture a "very clear, detailed" image of the man. The NYPD then distributed the footage.

Later, three high school-aged New Yorkers called 911 after recognizing the suspect on another train. Tisch praised the teens' quick action, saying, "They saw something, they said something, and they did something."

Officers were able to locate the suspect after boarding the train and checking the subway cars. He was arrested at Herald Square station, near the Empire State Building in Manhattan. A lighter was found in his pocket, Tisch confirmed.

"I want to thank the young people who called 911 to help," Tisch said, emphasizing the importance of their involvement in solving the crime. 

Suspect Identified as Guatemalan Immigrant; Investigation Continues into Subway Attack

The man, who has not been publicly named, emigrated from Guatemala to the United States in 2018, according to NYPD spokesperson Joseph Gulotta.

Gulotta stated that detectives are still working to determine whether the victim was asleep at the time of the incident. "She's definitely there, motionless," he said. "We’re not 100% sure if she was asleep, but it appears she was motionless at that spot."

He clarified that there was no interaction between the two before or during the attack, adding that the victim was unresponsive when the incident occurred.