A New York City subway passenger narrowly escaped serious injuries when a disturbed man allegedly threw a lighted cup of flammable liquid at him on a Manhattan subway train on Saturday. It is the second attack tied to the a homeless man who was later arrested.
The 23-year-old victim's chest and neck were burned after his shirt caught fire, authorities reported.
It happened on a No. 1 train as it was pulling into the Houston Street station in Manhattan shortly before 3 p.m. The attacker then jumped off the train and fled, but stopped to pick up a phone a woman dropped, the New York Post reported.
Officers were reportedly able to track the phone to locate and arrest 49-year-old Niles Taylor.
The NYPD confirmed to HNGN that Taylor faced several charges including arson, assault and weapon possesion.
The victim was treated for minor injuries at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Hospital.
Police have also charged Taylor in another subway arson incident.
NEW: SOMEONE IS THROWING CANS OF FIRE INSIDE NYC SUBWAY
— Suhr Majesty ™ (@ULTRA_MAJESTY) March 13, 2024
A suspect on camera throwing flaming cans at subway riders in NYC
Source: Police Frequency pic.twitter.com/zkG5Cf1Nqs
In February, the NYPD said a man threw a container ablaze with a flammable liquid at a group of people in a Manhattan subway station. No one was hurt in that incident.
Authorities had previously released a video of that attack in hopes of making an arrest.
The NYPD tells HNGN that Taylor is now charged with attempted assault, reckless endangerment and arson in connection with the Feburary attack.
New York's governor recently announced that she was sending the National Guard into the city's subway system to help control the crime problem.
