A woman died in what police are terming a "senseless killing" after a male stranger set her on fire while she was napping on the subway in New York on December 22. Witnesses said that the suspect, a Guatemalan migrant, 'just watched her burn'. Jessica Tisch, New York Police Department Commissioner, said in a press briefing that the incident happened at around 7:30 a.m. on the F train to the end of the line at Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn.
Describing chilling details of the incident, Tisch said, "As the train pulled into the station, the suspect calmly walked up to the victim, who is in a seated position at the end of a subway car. The suspect used what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the victim's clothing which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds."
The Suspect And Victim Did Not Know Each Other
The incident came to light when officers on patrol at the station smelled and saw smoke and rushed to investigate. They saw a woman, standing inside a subway car, fully engulfed in flames. Although they used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire, the victim could not survive. The suspect was found seated right at the crime scene.
The incident was caught on camera, showing chilling visuals of the woman set ablaze and the suspect nonchalantly watching her burn to death. This case has caused a major social media uproar, igniting conversations around the crime rate and safety in the USA, immigration etc. The following visuals might be disturbing to some:
The body-worn cameras on the responding officers produced a detailed look at the killer. Tisch said, "After the NYPD disseminated those images, 3 High School age New Yorkers called 911 to say that they recognised the suspect." The man was arrested from another train after a lighter was found in his pocket.
NYPD's Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta said, "We don't believe they knew each other," adding that there was no prior interaction between the suspect and the woman. The victim has not yet been identified; the suspect's identity has not been disclosed by the police. New York City Mayor Eric Adams released a statement on X.
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