Murderer stayed at the scene

Woman set on fire in subway car in New York: dead

(Bild: APA/Associated Press)

While she was sleeping, a woman was set on fire in the New York subway and died shortly afterwards. The terrible crime took place on Sunday morning - the police were able to arrest a suspect. 

The perpetrator had snuck up on the victim at around 7:30 a.m. before setting fire to the woman's clothes with a lighter and fleeing the scene. "The clothes were completely engulfed in flames within seconds," police commissioner Jessica Tisch told the press. 

Police officers on patrol "smelled and saw smoke" and eventually discovered the burning victim in the subway carriage. The officers extinguished the fire and raised the alarm - but the emergency services were only able to determine that the woman had died. 

A picture of the suspect is shown here: 

Suspect watched woman die
"Unbeknownst to the police officers, the suspect had remained at the scene and was sitting on a bench on the platform directly in front of the train carriage. The police officers' body-worn cameras provided a very clear and detailed picture of the murderer," the police spokeswoman added. The suspect had appeared calm as he watched his victim die. 

The suspect was eventually picked up a few hours later on another train. The lighter, which had probably served as a daytime weapon, was also found on him. The deceased woman has not yet been identified.