On Sunday morning (December 22), a man is suspected of setting fire to a woman who was resting with her eyes closed on an F train of the subway in Coney Island. After the news was released, the police offered a reward of ten thousand dollars to catch the suspect. The New York City Police Department announced on Sunday evening that the suspect had been arrested, having arrived in the U.S. from Guatemala in 2018.
According to the police department, at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, an unidentified female victim was possibly sleeping on a stationary F train at the Stillwell Avenue subway station in Brooklyn’s Coney Island when the suspect approached and ignited the victim’s clothing with a lighter. Witnesses reported that the flames quickly spread and engulfed the woman.
Upon detecting the smell of smoke, the on-duty police officers at the subway station rushed to the scene, where they found chaos inside the train car with the victim surrounded by flames and scattered bottles around. The officers and subway staff worked together to extinguish the fire, but the woman tragically died on the spot. The subway car itself was not affected by the fire.
After igniting the woman, the suspect immediately got off the train and sat on a bench on the opposite platform, coldly observing the scene unfold.
Following the incident, the police immediately released the suspect’s photo and described him as approximately 25 to 30 years old, around 5 feet 6 inches tall, and weighing about 150 pounds. Additionally, the police announced a ten thousand dollar reward for any information leading to the suspect’s arrest.
Later that afternoon, three high school students recognized the suspect at the York Street subway station in Brooklyn while riding the train and promptly called 911 to report him. The police quickly acted, stopping the train at the 34th St-Herald Square subway station in Manhattan, conducting a thorough search of each car, and ultimately confirming that the suspect matched the clothing seen in surveillance footage before arresting him on the spot.
During a press conference, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch expressed gratitude towards the three teenagers for their quick thinking, stating that they “demonstrated the sense of responsibility that all citizens should possess by taking action upon noticing a problem.”
MTA Chief Security Officer Michael Kemper also thanked Governor Kathy Hochul for her support, highlighting that the New York subway cars are now fully equipped with surveillance cameras, which provided crucial leads for the investigation.
“The brutal murder case today was solved by the surveillance footage from inside the train car,” Kemper stated. “It allowed detectives to swiftly identify the suspect’s image and answer many questions.”
This incident occurred shortly after Governor Hochul had increased the patrol presence in the subway. Just this week, she announced the deployment of 250 National Guard members into the subway system for random bag checks and patrols to address safety challenges during the holiday season. Official data shows that subway crime rates have decreased by 10% since March.
At present, the identities of the victim and the suspect have not been disclosed, and the case is still under further investigation. As of the deadline, the police have not pressed charges against the individual. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-8477 to provide more leads.