New York City authorities announced on Sunday that they have taken a “person of interest” into custody regarding the tragic early morning death of a woman. It is believed that she may have fallen asleep on a stationary subway train before being deliberately set on fire by an unknown individual.
Transit police managed to apprehend the suspect following a tip-off from three high school students who recognized the individual from surveillance images that the police had shared widely. These images were obtained from both surveillance footage and body camera recordings.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch praised the community for their vigilance, describing this incident as “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being.”
According to Tisch, both the unidentified suspect and the victim were on the subway train without any known interaction until reaching the end of the line in Brooklyn around 7:30 a.m. Surveillance footage reveals that after the train stopped, the man calmly approached the woman, who appeared to be sleeping, and ignited her clothing with what seemed to be a lighter. The fire quickly engulfed her clothing within seconds, as per the Commissioner’s statement.
Authorities believe that the two individuals did not have any previous acquaintance. During routine patrols at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station, officers noticed smoke and discovered the woman ablaze in the subway car. Once the fire was extinguished, medical personnel pronounced her dead on site.
As for the suspect, unbeknownst to responding officers, he had remained nearby, sitting on a bench on the subway platform just outside the train car. Officer-worn body cameras provided a clear view of his appearance, and the images were shared with the public.
Following a 911 call from the teenagers who managed to identify the man, transit officers located him on a different subway train. Officers coordinated a plan to keep the train doors shut at the next stop, conducted searches of each car, and ultimately took him into custody without resistance. Upon his arrest, he was found to have a lighter in his possession.
Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta confirmed that the investigation would continue, including inquiries into whether the victim was homeless and the background of the arrested individual.
This incident represented the second fatality on the New York subway that day. Earlier, around 12:35 a.m., police responded to reports of an assault at the 61st Street-Woodside Station in Queens, where they discovered a 37-year-old man with a fatal stab wound and a 26-year-old man suffering from multiple lacerations. The older victim was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, while the younger man is reported to be in stable condition. Investigations into this incident are also ongoing.
In response to increasing concerns over safety on public transit, Governor Kathy Hochul has deployed National Guard members to assist police in conducting random bag checks for weapons on subway riders. Recently, additional personnel were assigned to patrol the system during the busy holiday season.
Approximately a year ago, Governor Hochul advocated for funding the installation of video surveillance cameras on every subway car within the New York subway system. Officials including Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chief Security Officer Michael Kemper credited these cameras for aiding in the quick identification of the suspect in this latest incident.