Woman dies after being set on fire in the subway

A suspect has been arrested in New York for the death of a woman who was set on fire on a subway train in Brooklyn.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the incident on Sunday as “one of the most depraved crimes a person could possibly commit against another human being”.

She said the woman was on a stationary F train to Brooklyn when she was approached by a man who used a lighter to ignite her clothing.

The victim died at the scene, she said, adding that the suspect had been taken into custody after he was detained on another subway train.

Police said the woman, who has not been named, was on a subway car at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn around 6 p.m. 07:30 local time (12:30 GMT) when a man approached her.

There was no interaction before the attack, police said, adding that they did not believe the two people knew each other.

The man got off the train as police officers on patrol at the station rushed to the fire.

“Officers were on patrol on an upper level of that station, smelled and saw smoke and went to investigate,” Ms Tisch said.

“What they saw was a person standing inside the train car completely engulfed in flames.”

Police are still working to identify the victim and the motive for the attack.

“Unbeknownst to the responding officers, the suspect had remained at the scene and was sitting on a bench on the platform just outside the train car,” Ms Tisch added.

She explained that the responding officers were able to get a “very clear, detailed” look at the man, and the images were distributed by the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Later, three high-school-age New Yorkers called 911 to report they recognized the suspect on another train, Ms. Tisch told reporters.

The man was then located and arrested after officers boarded the train and walked through the subway cars.

The NYPD’s Joseph Gulotta said detectives are still trying to determine whether the victim was asleep when she was set on fire.

“She’s definitely there, she’s motionless,” Mr Gulotta added.

“So to say whether she’s sleeping or not, we’re not 100% sure, but it looks like she’s motionless in that spot.

“There is no interaction between the two. And when the incident happens, there is no interaction between them.”