Man killed sleeping woman on NYC subway by lighting her on fire, report says

According to the New York Post, a lunatic threw a lit match over a sleeping subway passenger on a F train in Coney Island on Sunday morning, causing her to explode into flames, killing her.

According to the publication, the sleeping woman was on an MTA subway train when she was burned alive early on Sunday morning when an unidentified man flipped a lit match onto her, setting her on fire.

According to the report, the frightening occurrence occurred at the Coney Island subway station on Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn at around 7:30 a.m., and NYPD officers hurried to the scene.

While she was fast asleep in a sitting position on the idle F train, authorities informed The Post that she was attacked by a man sitting opposite from her, who then got up and threw a lit match on her.

According to The Post, the male suspect then left the station. According to the report, EMS pronounced the woman deceased at the site and police put out the fire.

The Post reports that the victim was discovered surrounded by liquor bottles, however it’s unclear at this time whether the bottles contributed to the fire’s fueling.

Until authorities can inform her family of the tragedy, the woman’s identity has been kept secret.

According to The Post, police are presently looking for the attacker, who is believed to be in his 20s, to ask him about the crime.

Combating crime

In an attempt to protect New Yorkers and rid the subways of criminals, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a five-point plan to combat crime in the New York City subway system in March. The plan called for a force of nearly 1,000 law enforcement agents, including 750 members of the National Guard, state police, and transit officers, to perform bag checks at some of the busiest stations.

In addition to protecting the city’s train conductors and investing in mental health care for emotionally troubled New Yorkers, the strategy aims to counteract the threats posed by severe acts of violence and change state legislation.

According to a July Staten Island Advance/SILive.com story, MTA Chair Janno Lieber and Mayor Eric Adams declared a dramatic drop in subway crime in the entire city.