With help from the public, police arrested a person of interest in the death of a woman who was lit on fire while aboard an F train in Brooklyn on Sunday morning, officials announced.
Authorities said the man and victim, both of whom were not identified, were riding the same car as it pulled into the Stillwell Avenue station at the southern end of the line just before 7:30 a.m. when he “calmly” walked up to the motionless woman and used what they believe was a lighter to ignite her clothes, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds.
The fire spread through the train car at the terminal, according to photos reviewed by Gothamist. Officers patrolling the station saw and smelled the smoke, and with the help of an MTA employee, used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames.
Police said the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said three “high-school-aged” students had called 911 to report recognizing the suspect from images police had shared with the public earlier in the day. That led officers to spotting the man while riding the subway in Midtown Manhattan later Sunday evening, authorities said.
“Transit officers responded to that 911 call and also spotted the man wearing the same gray hoodie, distinct wool hat, paint splattered pants and tan boots already on another moving train,” Tisch said. “The person of interest also was found with a lighter in his pocket.”
MTA Chief Security Officer Michael Kemper said on-board video cameras allowed police detectives to work quickly to figure out what happened.
“It offered detectives immediate answers to questions that they had,” he said. “It offered them images of the perpetrator and allowed them to take those images and release them to the public, and allowed the public to see something and say something, and that’s why we’re standing here now reporting that an individual is in custody.”
NYPD Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta said the victim and person of interest didn’t interact at all prior to the crime, and police don’t believe they knew each other. The incident remains under investigation.
“This is amazing work done by the public and the police working together,” Gulotta said. “Once again, someone saw something, we got it out through technology in numerous ways, and we’re able to make a quick arrest on this nothing less than heinous crime that occurred in our subway system.”
MTA officials said service on the F line was temporarily cut off to and from Stillwell Avenue following the fire. Service resumed by late Sunday afternoon, officials said.
