New York police have arrested a suspect linked to the shocking murder of a woman who was set on fire while riding the subway Sunday morning. According to NBC news, the suspect approached the victim inside an F train car and intentionally ignited her before making a quick getaway, according to the NYPD.
Both the suspect and the victim were headed to the end of the line at Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn, as noted by NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Authorities believe the suspect used a lighter to ignite the victim’s clothing, which went up in flames almost instantly, Tisch reported.
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Officers on routine patrol at the station noticed smoke and were drawn to a subway car, where they found the victim engulfed in flames, NYPD Det. Austin Glickman told CNN. The police quickly put out the fire, but EMS arrived and sadly pronounced the woman dead at the scene, according to officials.
“Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car, and the body-worn cameras on the responding officers produced a very clear detailed look at the killer,” Tisch said. She noted the suspect appeared calm when he initially approached the victim.
Initially, police thought the victim was sleeping when the attack happened. Now, while it’s not clear if she was actually asleep, they noted she was “motionless” when the assault began. There was no interaction between her and the suspect, and authorities believe they didn’t know each other.
Surveillance footage from the subway car revealed the suspect igniting a blanket the victim was wearing, causing the flames to spread until she stood up engulfed in fire, as John Miller, CNN’s chief law enforcement analyst, explained on “CNN Newsroom.”
After setting her on fire, the suspect seemingly stepped back, took a seat on a bench at the station, and watched as the victim burned, according to Miller.
Body camera and surveillance footage played a crucial role in tracking down the suspect, officials said during a Sunday afternoon press conference. Police released the footage to the public, and three high school students recognized the suspect and alerted the authorities, Tisch reported.
Officers successfully located and arrested the suspect on another train in midtown Manhattan without any issues.
“Our officers in District Two stopped that train in Herald Square, and (were) able to keep the doors closed, walk the train and place this very dangerous individual in custody,” NYPD Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta said at the news conference.
