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A man has been arrested for allegedly setting a woman on fire as she appeared to sleep on a New York City subway train early Sunday morning, resulting in her death.
The unidentified woman was seated motionlessly aboard a stationary F train at Brooklyn’s Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station around 7:30 a.m. when the attacker approached her and ignited her clothing with a lighter, according to the NYPD.
According to a report by Geo News on Monday, authorities believe the suspect and victim were strangers, with no prior interaction before the attack. The man fled the train as officers on patrol responded to the scene.
“When officers arrived, they saw someone fully engulfed in flames inside the train car,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said during a press briefing.
Footage shared on social media captured a man in a gray hoodie, similar to the one worn by the suspect later arrested—sitting on a nearby bench while the victim burned. Police clarified they initially had no reason to suspect the man seen in the video.
Officers extinguished the flames, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Later that day, police arrested the suspect, whose identity has not yet been disclosed, on another subway train.
Investigators are still working to identify the victim and determine the motive behind the attack.
New York City’s subway system sees approximately four million weekday trips, with violent incidents remaining relatively rare. Police data shows nine subway homicides so far in 2024, up from five during the same period in 2023.
The incident follows the recent acquittal of Daniel Penny, who was charged with criminally negligent homicide for the death of Jordan Neely, a homeless man killed in a chokehold during an altercation on the subway earlier this year.
