Suspect Arrested After Woman Fatally Set on Fire Aboard New York City Subway
A man has been arrested in New York City for allegedly setting a woman on fire while she appeared to be asleep on a subway train, leading to her death. The incident occurred early in the morning at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn when the woman was sitting motionless on a stationary F train. The suspect reportedly approached her calmly and used a lighter to set her clothes on fire. Police were alerted by three high school students who recognized the suspect from surveillance footage and body camera images, helping officers track him down.
The man fled the scene after setting the fire, but officers on patrol quickly responded to the blaze, using fire extinguishers to try to put it out. Despite their efforts, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The police commissioner described the attack as one of the most depraved crimes one could commit against another person. Authorities have not yet identified the victim or determined the motive for the attack. They believe there was no prior interaction between the two individuals, and the woman and the suspect did not know each other.
The incident was captured on cellphone video by a horrified onlooker, which showed a man sitting on a bench nearby, wearing a grey hoodie similar to the one worn by the suspect who was later arrested. However, responding officers initially did not identify the man on the bench as the attacker, as they focused on helping the victim. The police are continuing their investigation into the motive for the attack and are working to confirm the woman’s identity.
While subway crime is relatively rare in New York City, the incident has raised concerns, as violent crimes have been gradually increasing. Data from the NYPD showed that as of November 2024, there had been nine homicides on the subway, up from five during the same period in 2023. This follows several other high-profile incidents, including the case of Daniel Penny, who was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide earlier in the month after an altercation with a homeless man on a subway train.
