Woman dies after being set on fire in the subway

A suspect has been arrested in New York for the death of a woman who was set on fire on a subway train in Brooklyn.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described Sunday’s incident as “one of the most depraved crimes a person could commit against another human being.”

He said the woman was on a stopped F train heading to Brooklyn when she was approached by a man who used a lighter to light her clothes.

The victim died at the scene, he said, adding that the suspect had been detained after being detained on another subway train.

Police said the woman, who has not been identified, was in a subway car at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn around 7:30 a.m. local time (12:30 GMT) when a man approached her. .

There was no interaction before the attack, police said, adding that they did not believe the two people knew each other.

The man got off the train as police officers patrolling the station rushed toward the fire.

“Officers were patrolling on the upper level of that station, they smelled and saw smoke and went to investigate,” Ms. Tisch said.

“What they saw was a person standing inside the train car completely engulfed in flames.”

Police are still working to identify the victim and the motive for the attack.

“Unbeknownst to the responding officers, the suspect had stayed at the scene and was sitting on a bench on the platform just outside the train car,” Ms. Tisch added.

He explained that responding officers were able to obtain a “very clear and detailed” view of the man and that the images were released by the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Later, three high school-aged New Yorkers called 911 to report they recognized the suspect on another train, Tisch told reporters.

The man was then located and arrested after officers boarded the train and walked between the subway cars.

Joseph Gulotta of the NYPD said detectives are still trying to establish whether the victim was asleep when he was set on fire.

“It’s definitely there, it’s motionless,” Gulotta added.

“So we’re not 100% sure if she’s asleep or not, but it looks like she’s motionless in that spot.

“There is no interaction between the two. And when the incident occurs, there is no interaction between them.”