Woman set on fire in deadly attack aboard F train; person of interest in custody
CONEY ISLAND, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A person of interest is in custody and charges are pending after a woman was set on fire and killed aboard a subway train in Brooklyn on Sunday morning.
Officers arrived at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station just before 7:30 a.m. for a call of a woman needing assistance.
Police say the 33-year-old suspect walked up to the victim while they were both riding the F train and used a lighter to ignite the victim's clothing.
The NYPD is calling cameras now in every subway car a 'game changer.' MTA video taken in an F train at Stillwell Avenue captured the terrifying crime, offering detectives answers to questions they had about what happened.
"What they saw was a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames," said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
The flames were extinguished with a fire extinguisher, but the woman died at the scene.
The video offered clear pictures of the man who had used a lighter to set her clothes on fire while she may have been sleeping and stayed and watched.
"We asked the media to broadcast those images far and wide so we could use the viewing public as a force multiplier. And New Yorkers came through again," added Tisch.
A group of high school students spotted the man in the photo on another train and called 911.
"Our transit sergeant responded to that location, met with these young high school students, looked inside the train, and saw an individual that he recognized from wanted fliers that we got out earlier," said NYPD Transit Chief Joseph Gulotta.
The suspect was taken into custody. Police say he is a citizen of Guatemala in New York since 2018.
He was living in a city-run shelter on Randalls Island.
He has one transit summons that was issued in May 2023.
On Sunday night, the governor praised the quick arrest, but her tweets earlier about additional cameras, officers, and National Guard members helping bring subway crime down have been met with concerns about fare hikes -- and the congestion pricing toll meant to make the subway more appealing, on an especially violent weekend.
The cameras Sunday morning in Coney Island and the presence of officers in transit played critical roles in the quick apprehension, but still couldn't stop a man from killing an innocent woman for no apparent reason.
That woman still has not been identified. She was burned beyond recognition.
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