A person of interest is under arrest, according to the NYPD, following the fire and death of a woman on a train in Coney Island on Sunday morning. According to detectives, the incident occurred on a Brooklyn-bound F train approaching the Stillwell Avenue Station shortly after 7:30 a.m. The police found that the occurrence was a homicide. The police asserted that the fire did not injure any other passengers.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch complimented police and the public for their swift response in apprehending the individual in less than 12 hours of the event. She also credited the universal camera system on New York City subways and police body camera footage for aiding in the capture. “As the train arrived at the platform, the suspect quietly approached the victim in a fearful position. He utilized what we assume was a lighter to completely ignite the victim in a couple of seconds,” Tisch stated. Tisch stated that police believe the man was present at the scene when the woman, who remained unnamed as of Sunday night, caught fire. Police were able to put out the flames before she died on the site. The suspect then fled, but not before police and subway body cameras captured his image. They then pasted the photograph on wanted posters and distributed it online. They reported finding an individual who matched the description at the J and York Street stations. She stated that transit officers also observed the person described as transferring to another train. Officers then ordered the train to stop, boarded it, and found and apprehended the individual of interest without incident, Tisch said.
“Three high school-age New Yorkers called 911 to say they recognized the suspect,” Tisch said to the crowd. As of Sunday night, Tisch verified that the man emigrated from Guatemala in 2018. Tisch stated that transit officers also observed the guy who matched the description boarding another train. Officers then ordered the train to stop, boarded it, and found and apprehended the individual of interest without incident, Tisch said.
The woman who died from burns on a train in Coney Island was the subject of a news conference by the NYPD. Tisch further reported that the person of interest had a lighter. The event was the second violent attack on a Brooklyn subway in as many days, following the shooting of two men in the leg on a Q train in Homecrest on Saturday. We encourage anyone with information to reach out to the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.
