NEW YORK — A woman died after she was set on fire while sleeping in a New York City subway car early Sunday morning, police said.
A person of interest in the Brooklyn attack was taken into custody later in the day, New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at an early evening news conference.
Police have not yet been able to identify the victim.
Police said the person of interest came to the United States from Guatemala in 2018. No charges have been filed at this time, but investigators are still questioning him and trying to determine a motive.
“I want you to know that this apprehension was another in what has become a series of joint efforts involving different crimes between the police and the public we serve,” Tisch said. “In today’s case, we were able to get incredibly clear and detailed footage of the suspect in the initial incident. We then asked the media to broadcast that footage far and wide so we could use the viewing public as a force multiplier , and nine. The Yorkies came through again.”
With footage obtained from the train’s security cameras, police and the public had a very clear picture of the man they were looking for. Tisch credited three high school-aged New Yorkers with seeing the person of interest and calling 911, leading to his capture.
The NYPD had been offering a $10,000 reward for information about the incident.
NYPD describes how the attack happened
The person of interest was described as 5-foot-6, 150 pounds, approximately 25 to 30 years old, and was seen wearing a gray hoodie, gray wool hat, paint splattered pants and brown boots in the time of attack
Tisch said the man was riding an F train as it pulled into the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn around 7:30 a.m. when he approached the sleeping woman and then lighting a fire with what was believed to be a lighter. He added that the victim’s clothes were completely entangled in a matter of seconds.
Police said there appeared to be no interaction between the victim and his attacker before he was set on fire.
NYPD
Tisch said nearby officers saw and smelled smoke and immediately went to investigate and, with the help of an MTA worker, used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames. EMS arrived a short time later and pronounced the woman dead on the train.
Without responding officers, the person of interest remained at the scene and was seen sitting on a bench on the platform just outside the train car. He was later arrested without incident on another train that was stopped at Herald Square, Tisch said.
The person of interest was wearing the same clothes and was found with a lighter in his pocket, police added.
“This is an amazing job done by the public and the police working together. Once again, someone saw something, we pulled it off through technology in many ways and were able to make a quick arrest on this heinous crime that went produce in our subway system,” said NYPD Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477)or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip through their website or by DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.