Governor Kathy Hochul's account sent out a message about safety on the subway, on the same day that a sleeping woman was set on fire and killed in Brooklyn. December 23, 2024.
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(New York, NY) – A horrifying moment unfolded on Sunday, when a woman was burned alive on a subway train in Brooklyn. According to witnesses, a man walked up to the woman — who was sleeping — and used a lighter to set her on fire. This happened on an F train — at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue Station.
Bystanders took cell phone video which has since gone viral on social media. It shows the woman standing and clutching a subway pole while engulfed in flames. A police officer walks by — and the suspect is sitting on a subway bench, watching the woman burn. Apparently the cop was unaware the man had just allegedly committed the crime and the officer ushered the man away, noting the platform would be closed.
Now, that suspect has been identified as a 33-year-old illegal immigrant from Guatemala. Cops had a clear image of him from responding officers’ body cams, and that was publicized on social media and in news reports. Then, a group of high schoolers spotted the suspect on a subway train near 34th Street. They called 911, cops responded, and the suspect was arrested.
In an embarrassing incident after the fact, Governor Kathy Hochul’s social media accounts posted what appeared to be a scheduled post about safety within the subway. The comments underneath that post blasted her for being tone deaf. Meanwhile, a man was fatally stabbed on a 7-train in Woodside, Queens, and shots rang out on a Q-train — leaving two wounded. And congestion pricing is just days away — which should force more people down in the subway, for financial reasons.