Man Arrested After Homeless Woman Set on Fire in Brooklyn Subway Tragedy
New York City police have arrested a man accused of setting a sleeping homeless woman on fire inside a Brooklyn subway car on Sunday morning, leading to her death. The suspect reportedly remained at the scene and watched as the victim burned, according to the NYPD.
The incident occurred at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station around 7:30 a.m. Surveillance video, obtained by The Daily News, shows the woman, engulfed in flames, standing near the door of a stationary F train car while the suspect sat calmly on a nearby bench.
Officers patrolling an upper level of the station noticed smoke and rushed to investigate. “What they saw was a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated during a press conference. With the help of an MTA employee and a fire extinguisher, officers extinguished the flames, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Unbeknownst to the responding officers, the suspect had remained on the platform just outside the train car. Body camera footage captured clear images of the man, which were later distributed to the public. Thanks to tips from three teenagers who recognized the suspect from the photos, police were able to apprehend him.
Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta confirmed the victim appeared to be homeless and was sleeping in the subway car when the suspect set her on fire. The two did not know each other, and no prior interaction occurred between them.
“This was a brutal, brutal homicide,” Gulotta said, calling for swift justice. “There is no room in civilized society for people like him to be walking around.”
The suspect, whose identity has not yet been disclosed, immigrated to the United States from Guatemala in 2018.
The victim’s identity has also not been released. Kenny Cruz, a bystander outside the Coney Island subway station, expressed shock and sorrow. “It’s foul. It’s wrong. Nobody deserves to get burned up, no matter if she’s homeless,” Cruz said. “My heart goes out to that lady.”
The tragic event highlights ongoing safety concerns in the city’s subway system, with calls for stronger measures to prevent such senseless acts of violence.