Dramatic Arrest of Suspect Accused of Setting Woman on Fire in NYC Subway
A video capturing the NYPD officers arresting a Guatemalan migrant suspected of setting a sleeping subway rider on fire and watching her burn to death has surfaced.
The officers were seen waiting at the 34th Street–Herald Square station for the suspect when they swiftly apprehended him inside a crowded subway car, as shown in an Instagram video shared.
In the video, two officers can be seen pushing through commuters and approaching the alleged perpetrator, who appeared to be sitting with his head down, possibly asleep.
One of the officers then restrained the suspect, forcing him to the ground while more officers rushed to assist.
About five officers were involved in subduing the Guatemalan suspect, placing him in handcuffs with his face pressed against the subway seat.
Concerned and bewildered passengers watched as the officers instructed them to evacuate the train, with some struggling to move away from the commotion before the video concluded.
Three high schoolers reported seeing the suspect at the Jay and York Street station on the F line, according to Transit Chief Joseph Gulotta.
The suspect was found with a lighter in his possession when he was taken into custody, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
The 33-year-old suspect, whose name has not been disclosed pending charges, allegedly set a sleeping subway rider on fire on an idle F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn on Sunday morning.
As the train arrived at the station, the suspect calmly approached the victim, ignited her clothing with a lighter, and watched as she was engulfed in flames, Tisch explained.
A grim video depicted the suspect observing the woman as she burned inside the subway car.
Patrolling officers eventually reached the victim, extinguished the fire, but she tragically passed away at the scene.
The suspect remained at the scene, seated on a bench outside the train car, unbeknownst to the responding officers.
Authorities later removed the woman’s body from the train and transported it to a medical examiner’s van.
The woman’s identity has not been disclosed yet.
The suspect arrived in the US from Guatemala in 2018 and was detained by border patrol agents in Arizona that same year, sources revealed. His immigration status remains unclear.
