Man arrested after setting woman on fire in New York subway attack

Police Commissioner described the incident as one of the most depraved crimes against a person.

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NEW YORK:

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

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

The woman, whose identity has not been revealed, was on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn at approximately 07:30 local time when a man approached her and used a lighter to set her clothing on fire.

According to police, there was no prior interaction between the woman and the suspect, and they do not believe the two were acquainted.

When responding officers arrived at the scene, they saw smoke and discovered the victim fully engulfed in flames inside the train car.

Tisch explained that the officers were on patrol on the upper level of the station when they noticed the smoke. "What they saw was a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames," she said.

The suspect fled the scene after setting the woman on fire but remained nearby on the platform. Tisch revealed that officers were able to clearly observe the man before he left the scene, and the New York Police Department (NYPD) released images of the suspect.

Later, three high school-aged New Yorkers on a separate train called 911 after recognizing the man. They reported the sighting, which led to his location being traced.

The suspect was arrested at Herald Square station in Manhattan, near the Empire State Building. Police found a lighter in his pocket at the time of his arrest.

Photo: Reuters

Tisch expressed gratitude toward the students who helped by calling 911: "They saw something, they said something, and they did something," she said.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators are still working to identify her and determine the motive behind the attack.

Joseph Gulotta from the NYPD stated that detectives are trying to establish whether the victim was asleep when the attack occurred. "She's definitely there, she's motionless... so to say if she's asleep or not, we're not 100% sure, but it appears that she's motionless at that spot," Gulotta explained.

The suspect, who was not identified, emigrated from Guatemala to the US in 2018. Police are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack.