NEW YORK (PIX11) -- An assailant is now in police custody after allegedly setting a man on fire while he was riding the subway in Manhattan Saturday afternoon, according to the NYPD.
The incident occurred at the Houston Street No. 1 subway station at 2:47 p.m. Police say the 48-year-old male assailant threw a flammable substance at a 23-year-old victim riding the subway.
Witnesses told police the assailant had been seen holding a flammable substance in a cup before he threw it at the victim. The victim suffered burns to his upper torso. Paramedics rushed him to a local hospital to be treated for his injuries, police said.
The assailant tried to flee on foot. Sources tell PIX11 News as the attacker was trying to escape, a woman dropped her cellular phone. The 48-year-old assaulter grabbed the phone and took it with him as he fled.
The perp was then caught near Canal Street and Renwick Street using the Find My iPhone app on the woman’s phone, police sources said.
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.
