New York City police arrest man after woman set on fire and killed on subway train

Police in New York have arrested a man in connection with the death of a woman who was set on fire while she appeared to be asleep on a stationary subway train in Brooklyn.

The woman, who has not been identified, was in a subway carriage at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station on Sunday at 7:30 am local time (1:30 pm CET) when an unknown man approached her and used a lighter to ignite her clothing, the New York Police Department (NYPD) said. Police do not believe the two knew one another.

Officers on a routine patrol at the subway station smelled and saw smoke and discovered the woman on fire, standing in the middle of the subway car. After the fire was extinguished, emergency medical personnel declared the woman dead at the scene.

Unbeknownst to the officers, the suspect had remained at the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform, just outside the train car, according to the NYPD. Body cameras worn by the officers captured images of the suspect, which were publicly disseminated.

Transit police apprehended the suspect later on Sunday after receiving a tip-off from three high school students who had recognised the man from the images. The man had a lighter in his pocket when he was taken into custody, the NYPD said.

"New Yorkers came through again," said New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who described the case as "one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being".

The NYPD said on Sunday that they were still investigating the victim's identity and the reason behind the attack.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul this year has sent New York National Guard members to the city’s subway system to help police conduct random searches of passengers' bags for weapons, following a series of high-profile crimes on city trains. Hochul recently deployed additional members to help patrol the subways during the holiday season.

Earlier this month, a jury in Manhattan acquitted Marine veteran Daniel Penny of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Jordan Neely on the city's subway. Neely had been shouting at passengers on a subway train when Penny grabbed him from behind and held him in a chokehold for several minutes.