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Teenager Charged with Arson After Allegedly Setting Homeless Man on Fire in NYC Subway
New York, NY – An 18-year-old man is facing a federal arson charge following allegations that he intentionally set a sleeping homeless man on fire aboard a New York City subway train. Hiram Carrero was arrested Thursday night and made his initial appearance in Manhattan federal court on Friday.
Authorities state the incident occurred around 3 a.m. Monday on a northbound 3 train.
The 56-year-old victim was reportedly asleep when Carrero allegedly entered the subway car at 34th Street Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan. Surveillance footage included in the federal complaint shows the victim alone in the car at the time.
According to investigators, Carrero approached the victim and set his legs ablaze before fleeing the train just as the doors were closing. The victim, still engulfed in flames, exited the subway car at the next stop, Times Square. Further surveillance footage depicts him sitting on the platform with flames emanating from his upper legs.
Law enforcement personnel quickly responded to the scene, extinguishing the fire and transporting the victim to a hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
During his initial court appearance on Friday, a federal magistrate ordered Carrero released. However, prosecutors successfully appealed this decision to a district court judge, who subsequently ordered Carrero to be held. Carrero was initially arrested on state charges, including attempted murder, before the federal arson charge was brought forward.