Woman who died on subway was so badly burned, only teeth can ID her: NYPD
NEW YORK (PIX11) – The NYPD is working to identify a woman who died after she was lit on fire on an F subway train in Brooklyn on Sunday.
The victim was burned so badly that teeth will likely be needed to identify her, according to authorities. It happened near the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station around 7:30 a.m., when a man was accused of lighting the sleeping woman's clothing, police said.
The man was then accused of leaving the subway car once the train pulled into the station to sit on a platform bench nearby, watching the woman burn to death, according to authorities.
“This person carried out one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a press conference Sunday afternoon.
Three high schoolers called 911 after spotting the man on another F train at the York Street station, police said. Officers later stopped the train at Herald Square and took a person of interest into custody, according to authorities.
The lighter believed to have been used in the crime was found in the man's pocket, police said.
The crime was caught on surveillance camera, according to the MTA.
It's unclear what led to the attack. The person of interest has not been identified, but police said he came to the U.S. from Guatemala in 2018, is living in a shelter and has no known criminal record in New York.
Charges are pending, according to authorities.
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.