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NYC Local News: AGAIN! Rider Set on Fire in Subway - NYPD Releases Video of Suspect
Cops are Looking for the Person Who Set a Homeless Man on Fire Inside Manhattan Subway Car
By Dan Gesslein
December 3, 2025
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 NYPD has released images of the individual they are looking to identify. He is described as a man with a medium complexion, last seen wearing a grey jacket, black hat, black pants, black boots, and carrying a black backpack.
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.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, on X @
All calls are strictly confidential.
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