New York: Woman Set Ablaze On Subway Train, Suspect 'Stayed On The Scene' When Cops Arrived, Arrested Later

New York Subway Fire: A woman was killed in a brutal attack on a subway train in Brooklyn when a man set her clothing on fire. The suspect was arrested later at Herald Square Station in Manhattan.

New York Subway Fire: The suspect, described as a man who emigrated from Guatemala in 2018, was arrested later at Herald Square Station in Manhattan

Source : X/@TiffanyFong_

New York Subway Fire: A woman was killed in a horrific attack on a New York subway train on Sunday morning after a man set her clothing on fire, with authorities labelling the act as “one of the most depraved crimes” committed. The incident occurred on the F train near the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn at approximately 7:30 a.m. (local time), according to a report by CNN.

New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the crime as a “brutal murder,” noting that the woman was “motionless” when she was set on fire, though it remains unclear whether she was asleep at the time. Surveillance footage shows the assailant igniting the victim’s clothes with a lighter, causing them to become fully engulfed in flames in a matter of seconds. Despite the swift arrival of officers who extinguished the flames, the victim tragically died at the scene, CNN reported.

Police initially believed the woman was sleeping, but Tisch clarified that the circumstances of her state were still under investigation. "We’re not 100% sure," said Joseph Gulotta, the NYPD’s Chief of Transit, as quoted by BBC. Authorities confirmed there was no prior interaction between the victim and the suspect, and they do not believe they knew each other.

"Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car," she revealed.

How New York Subway Suspect Was Nabbed

The suspect, described as a man who emigrated from Guatemala in 2018, was arrested later at Herald Square Station in Manhattan.

The NYPD Commissioner stated that police were able to get "very clear, detailed" imagery of the accused from the responding officers' body-worn cameras, which were disseminated by the police department. 

Three high school-aged New Yorkers dialed 911 to inform they had spotted the suspect on another subway train. The suspect was apprehended after officers boarded the train and walked through the subway carriages.

Tisch praised the role of the three who recognised the suspect and alerted authorities. "They saw something, they said something, and they did something," Tisch said, as per BBC.

The suspect was found in possession of a lighter at the time of his arrest. No charges have yet been filed, though the investigation is ongoing, with authorities working to establish a possible motive for the attack. "This type of depraved behaviour has no place in our subways," said New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who expressed his commitment to ensuring swift justice for the victim, CNN reported.

The attack occurred just hours after another violent incident on the subway, where a stabbing on a southbound 7 train in Queens resulted in one death and one injury. The suspect in that case, a 26-year-old man, has also been arrested, as per the report.