NEW YORK CITY – A horrific incident unfolded on a Brooklyn subway train when a woman was fatally set on fire by a man who has since been arrested. The attack occurred on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station around 07:30 local time (12:30 GMT) on Sunday.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch labeled the crime as “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being.” According to her statement, the assailant approached the victim, who was alone in the subway car, and used a lighter to ignite her clothing. The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, was found fully engulfed in flames by responding officers who were patrolling the station after detecting smoke.
Despite the immediate response with fire extinguishers, the victim succumbed to her injuries at the scene. The suspect, who did not flee immediately, was spotted by officers sitting on a bench near the platform, allowing for a clear identification through detailed images captured by the officers’ body cameras and disseminated by the NYPD.
The breakthrough in the case came when three high school students recognized the suspect on another subway train and alerted authorities via a 911 call. This led to his arrest at Herald Square station, close to the Empire State Building in Manhattan. At the time of his arrest, the man was found with a lighter in his pocket, linking him directly to the crime.
Police have confirmed that there was no prior interaction between the victim and the attacker, suggesting the attack was unprovoked. The motive remains unclear, and detectives are still working to ascertain whether the victim was asleep at the time of the attack, as she was found motionless.
The suspect, who emigrated from Guatemala to the US in 2018, has not been publicly named. Police Commissioner Tisch expressed gratitude towards the young witnesses, stating, “They saw something, they said something and they did something,” emphasizing the crucial role their alertness played in the swift apprehension of the suspect.
Investigations are ongoing to fully understand the circumstances and motives behind this tragic event, with efforts continuing to identify the victim.
