Latest News: Suspect Arrested for Brutal Attack in New York City Subway Resulting in Woman’s Death by Fire

UPDATE 12/22 6:08 p.m. ET:

A Guatemalan migrant has reportedly been taken into custody by the police on suspicion of setting a woman on fire as she slept inside a Coney Island F train early on Sunday. Tragically, the woman passed away from her injuries. The suspect arrived in the United States through Arizona in June 2018 and was held by border patrol officers. As of now, he has not faced any formal charges.

🚨 NY POST: The man who lit woman on fire and watched her burn in NYC subway is a Guatemalan migrant and has been arrested by NYPD.

h/t: @EricLDaugh pic.twitter.com/ZLtCXBbWMV

— Publius (@OcrazioCornPop) December 22, 2024

Original Story

In unsettling news following the recent exoneration of Daniel Penny, a brave individual who intervened to stop a violent incident on a New York City subway train, reports have emerged of a woman being set on fire while aboard a subway train in Coney Island.

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Social media has been circulating a video purportedly capturing the alleged perpetrator of this heinous act as he sat on a bench observing the horrific scene unfold before eventually walking away from the burning woman.

We are sharing a pixelated version of the video here. 

Warning: coarse language

🚨 INSANE: A woman was literally BURNED ALIVE on the New York Subway by a man who struck a match and threw it on her

THIS is why we need more Daniel Pennys

NOBODY did anything to help, and the suspect, picture below, walked away.

INFURIATING. pic.twitter.com/u59xoT1YKl

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) December 22, 2024

As the tweet above notes, it doesn’t appear that any bystanders—including a police officer who wanders through the video—appeared to come to the woman’s aid. This could be due to the “Daniel Penny Effect,” where Good Samaritans fear getting involved because injustice rules in New York.

Details of what happened are starting to emerge. 

Investigators believe that the woman was sleeping when the man — who was sitting across from the victim at the time — got up, walked over and tossed a match on her, sources said.

Cops extinguished the fire and EMS declared her dead on the scene. 

Liquor bottles were laying around the victim, though it wasn’t clear if they played any part in the blaze. 

The suspect is a man, around 25 to 30 years old, who police estimate to be 5-foot, 6-inches tall and weighing 150 lbs. He was last seen wearing a gray hoodie, jeans, brown boots and a dark knit hat with red band.

Curiously, at the same time the news of this brutal attack was emerging, New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) tweeted a self-congratulatory message bragging that her administration has made subways “safer.”

This holiday season, we’re hard at work for you.

More money in your pockets.

Safer streets and subways.

A stronger New York State.

Take a look: pic.twitter.com/97UyfT3QsK

— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) December 22, 2024

Astonishingly, she then callously tweeted out photos of her taking selfies on the subway.

In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day.

Since deploying the @NationalGuardNY to support @NYPDnews and @MTA safety efforts and adding cameras to all subway cars, crime is going down, and ridership is going up. pic.twitter.com/T7uRxx9nIO

— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) December 22, 2024

What is even going on here? A woman is brutally murdered in the most horrific way possible, and the governor of the state in which the heinous attack took place is taking a clearly underserved victory lap across social media. Not a great look for Hochul. 

Authorities are looking for the public’s assistance and are offering a $10,000 for information leading to his arrest. Some on social media are speculating that the man may be an illegal immigrant, but there is no official information to confirm that.

UPDATE: Thanks to a sharp-eyed citizen, the suspect is now in custody, per the NY Post’s update:

Police sources say a civilian identified the suspected killer as he rode on a train at 34th Street in Manhattan.

He has not been charged with a crime yet, sources added.