The entire scene was filmed by CCTV cameras. Last Sunday, around 7:30 a.m., a man “calmly” approached a woman who had apparently dozed off on the subway, at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn (United States). . He set her clothes on fire, burning her alive.
“The suspect used what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the victim's clothing, which caught fire within seconds,” New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference. later in the day.
She added that the police intervened quickly and the fire was put out with a fire extinguisher. But “unfortunately, it was too late and the victim died on the spot.” Jessica Tisch denounced “one of the most depraved crimes” that a person can commit against another human.
“No interaction between the two”
By analyzing camera footage from the scene, police quickly obtained a clear image of the suspect “remaining at the scene” and “sitting on a bench on the subway platform, just outside the car.” “We asked the media to broadcast these images widely (…) and New Yorkers have once again responded,” she added.
The man, who was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, wool hat, paint-stained pants and boots, was first spotted by three high school students who immediately called 911. Transportation officers also identified the suspect who was subsequently arrested at a Manhattan station without incident. A lighter was found in his pocket when he was taken into custody. His identity and that of the victim have not been revealed.
According to Joseph Gulotta, a police official, there was “no interaction between the two at the time of the incident.” “We don't believe they knew each other,” he added during the press conference. The investigation continues, including whether the woman was homeless and whether she had a history with the suspect who immigrated to the United States from Guatemala in 2018.
Video surveillance cameras played a key role in finding the man, said Michael Kemper, head of security for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “I want you to know that this arrest is part of a series of joint efforts (…) between the police and the public we serve,” insisted Jessica Tisch, while thanking the high school students. The NYPD had promised a $10,000 reward for information about the incident.
This tragic death is the second recorded this Sunday in the New York subway. A 37-year-old man was fatally stabbed at the 61st Street-Woodside station in Queens around 12:35 a.m. Another, aged 26, was taken to hospital with “multiple gashes all over his body,” the Associated Press reports.
