The New York police announced Sunday that they had arrested a suspect in connection with the death that occurred the same morning of a woman intentionally set on fire on a subway train in the city.
Police apprehended the suspect after receiving a report from three students who recognized the man. They had seen footage of the suspect taken by police surveillance and body camera footage and widely distributed by law enforcement.
New Yorkers have once again responded
underlined New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who described the case as one of the most evil crimes a person can commit against another human being
.
Ms. Tisch said the suspect and the woman, both unidentified, were traveling on the subway without any interaction with each other until the line's terminus in Brooklyn around 7:30 a.m.
After the train stopped, surveillance video from the subway car showed the man walking calmly
towards the victim, who was sitting motionless, possibly asleep, and set fire to his clothing with what appeared to be a lighter. Women's clothing were then completely engulfed within seconds
detailed the commissioner.
Police do not believe the two knew each other.
An arrest sans incident
Officers on routine patrol at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station smelled and saw smoke and found the woman on fire, standing in the middle of the subway car. Once the fire was extinguished, emergency medical personnel pronounced the victim dead at the scene.
Unbeknownst to the officers, the suspect remained at the scene and was sitting on a bench on the subway platform, just outside the car, Ms. Tisch said. Body cameras worn by officers captured a very clear and detailed view
of the suspect and these images were broadcast publicly.
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Passengers on the New York subway, in the United States, photographed through the window of a train car.
Photo : Associated Press / Julia Demaree Nikhinson
After later receiving a 911 call from teenagers, other transit officers identified the man on another subway train and radioed the next station, where other officers guarded the train doors closed, searched each car and finally apprehended it without incident, detailed the transport chief, Joseph Gulotta. The man had a lighter in his pocket when he was taken into custody, Commissioner Tisch said.
Gulotta said the investigation was continuing, including whether the woman was homeless and the suspect's background.
The case marked the second death on a New York subway on Sunday.
Series of crimes
New York Governor Kathy Hochul sent members of the New York National Guard to the city's subways this year to help police conduct random searches of passengers' bags for weapons following of a series of high-profile crimes on the city's trains.
Ms. Hochul recently deployed additional members to help patrol during the holiday season.
About a year ago, the governor supported funding the installation of video cameras on every New York subway car, recalled Michael Kemper, head of security for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He and other officials credited cameras Sunday for helping find the suspect so quickly.
