The incident occurred around 7:30am on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station.

According to the New York Police Department, an unidentified man approached the woman and used a lighter to ignite her clothing.

Witnesses reported no prior interaction between the two, indicating they likely did not know each other.

As police officers responded to the scene, they found the woman engulfed in flames. Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that officers quickly used fire extinguishers to put out the fire, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical personnel.

The suspect was later arrested while riding the subway later that day. Authorities are currently investigating both the identity of the victim and the motive behind the attack.

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This incident has raised concerns about safety on the subway, which sees approximately four million trips each weekday.

Although violent crime is relatively uncommon in the subway system, there have been nine reported homicides in 2024, an increase from five in the same period last year.