An early Sunday morning tragedy was witnessed in the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station in Brooklyn, New York. A woman was set on fire while on an F train, and she died due to the attack. Now, a manhunt is going on for the male suspect.
The New York Police Department said that the incident occurred at about 7:30 a.m. when officers were sent to the scene after receiving a report of a fire. They found a woman, who was on fire and sitting on an idling train. Emergency medical services fought to save her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
It was believed by the investigators that possibly sleeping woman became the victim of senseless act, when man sitting opposite her stood up, passed through her, and lit up a match which he then hurled upon her body and set it on fire. The fire spread so rapidly that soon the entire woman was in flames. Immediately after this attack, the suspect in his mid 20’s ran away on foot.
Liquor Bottles Found Near Victim
As the authorities kept probing, they found bottles of liquor close to the dead body. However, how it might have contributed towards the case is not understood as yet. The officials continue to evaluate the significance of bottles to the fire at the moment.
The attack caused a major disruption as the F line service had to be suspended for a couple of hours while the area was combed with investigators in search of evidence. The woman’s body covered with a black body bag was wheeled out around 1 p.m., sending the witnesses into a shock. “That’s unbelievable,” a passenger quipped, as the stretcher went by.
Shocking Witness Accounts Of Brutality
One MTA employee who viewed the scene said, “Her clothes looked completely burnt.” The employee also added that the police had put out the fire and turned off the train’s lights to create a smokescreen. “It’s insane — three days till Christmas,” the employee said. “That’s messed up.”
“It’s scary. Crime’s getting worse. Not just this — the muggings, shootings, all of it,” said Alex Gureyev, a 39-year-old Brooklyn construction manager. Commuters passing through the station said that they were worried by the growing violence.
This brutal attack shines a light on the rising brutality that has been afflicting New York City’s subway system. According to NYPD data, murders in the transit system rose by 60% this year compared to last year. As of September 2024, eight subway-related murders have been reported, a drastic increase from five during the same period in 2023, as cited by the New York Post.
In response to the increasing concerns, Governor Kathy Hochul has just deployed an additional 250 National Guard troops to the subway system for the holiday season, bringing the total number of troops to 1,000. While authorities credit the earlier March deployment with a 10% decline in subway-related crimes, incidents of violence continue to plague the transit system.
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