NYC Local News: BREAKING! NYPD Makes Arrest in Subway Torching of Homeless Man

Cops Arrest Suspect in Horrifying Incident in Which a Homeless Man was Set on Fire 

By Dan Gesslein 

Manhattan Voice 

December 4, 2025 

NYC LOCAL NEWS -  Breaking now… the NYPD has announced the arrest of an 18-year-old man in the horrifying attack on a subway at Penn Station where a sleeping homeless man was set on fire. 

Cops arrested Hiram Carrero, 18 of West 142nd Street. He was been charged with attempted murder, three counts of assaults, arson, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment.   

Developing…

According to the NYPD, the incident happened around 3:05 a.m. on December 1, 2025, aboard a northbound 3 train as it pulled into 34th Street–Penn Station.

Police say a 56-year-old homeless man was riding in one of the cars when the train doors opened and an unidentified individual briefly stepped inside. Without warning, the man reportedly set the victim on fire before immediately stepping back out onto the platform. The attacker then ran off and boarded another northbound 3 train, disappearing into the system.

Emergency medical services rushed the victim to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he is being treated for significant burn injuries.

The case is eerily similar to two high profile attacks in major city subway lines. Last month 26-year-old Bethany MaGee was set on fire inside a subway car in Chicago. Cops arrested a man with a lengthy rap sheet. 

Last year, a homeless woman was set on fire at a Queens subway station. Debrina Kawam, 57, died as a result of a man pouring flammable liquid on her as she slept on a train. He then set her on fire. 

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, has been charged with the crime and has pleaded not guilty.

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