The suspect was arrested at another subway station in Manhattan about eight hours after the attack, police said.
Police initially believed the victim was sleeping at the time of the attack. While it’s now unclear whether the victim was asleep, she was “motionless” when the attack began, police said Sunday.
The assailant approached the woman without saying a word, ignited her clothes and she was enveloped in flames “in a matter of seconds,” police said. Surveillance video appears to show the suspect sitting on a station bench and watching the woman burn as police officers responded.
“Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car, and the body-worn cameras on the responding officers produced a very clear detailed look at the killer,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. She noted the suspect appeared calm when he initially approached the victim.
He is in custody, with charges pending in an ongoing investigation, a police spokesperson told CNN.
Police did not identify the suspect other than to say he is an immigrant from Guatemala. The victim was not identified.
A NYPD spokesperson told CNN more details will be released Monday morning.
CNN has reached out to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but did not immediately hear back.
The attack occurred around 7:30 a.m. on an F train bound for Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn, they said.
Police said they don’t believe the victim and the suspect knew one another.
MNA
Your Comment