Homicide in New York subway Woman set on fire - jury allows murder charge

Woman set on fire - jury allows murder charge - Gallery

Many details of the crime in a New York subway remain unknown.

Image: dpa

The locked station in the New York borough of Brooklyn is part of the famous Coney Island attraction.

Image: dpa

Woman set on fire - jury allows murder charge - Gallery

Many details of the crime in a New York subway remain unknown.

Image: dpa

The locked station in the New York borough of Brooklyn is part of the famous Coney Island attraction.

Image: dpa

The woman was set on fire in a New York subway on Sunday morning. Her identity remains unclear.

DPA

27.12.2024, 22:36

27.12.2024, 23:08

dpa

New York police continue to investigate the identity of a woman who died after being set on fire in a subway train two days before Christmas Eve. The 33-year-old alleged perpetrator will be charged with murder and arson, announced District Attorney Eric Gonzalez of the New York borough of Brooklyn. A grand jury had cleared the way for this indictment.

The Guatemalan allegedly set the woman on fire early Sunday morning in a train car at a station near the Coney Island amusement park and beach. According to the police, he did not know the woman. He had entered the USA illegally several years ago. DNA tests, fingerprints and video recordings are now being used to establish his identity, Gonzalez said.

Perpetrator watched the woman on fire

According to media reports, the man approached her and set fire to her clothes without saying a word. While emergency services extinguished the flames, he sat on a nearby bench and watched. The woman was pronounced dead on the spot. US media such as the "New York Times" reported that the woman may have been homeless. In winter, homeless people often warm themselves up on trains that run around the clock to escape the cold. On the day of the crime, the lowest temperatures were minus ten degrees Celsius.