Man throws flaming liquid on New York City subway, burns fellow rider | EUROtoday

The newest headlines from our reporters throughout the US despatched straight to your inbox every weekday

Your briefing on the most recent headlines from throughout the US

A New York City subway rider was taken to the hospital on Saturday afternoon for burn accidents after a person randomly tossed a cup of liquid on fireplace on the rider.

The sudden assault occurred on the Houston Street subway station on the 1 line in decrease Manhattan, the New York Police Department (NYPD) mentioned.

The sufferer, recognized as 23-year-old Petrit Alijaj by The New York Postwas about to board the prepare together with his fiancée when the suspect took a cup stuffed with liquid, lit it on fireplace and threw it at him.

Mr Alijaj mentioned he shielded his fiancée and cousins from the hearth, inflicting his shirt to go up in flames. He advised The Post he tried to place the flames out together with his arms. As he threw his shirt off, the suspect fled from the scene.

Mr Alijaj was taken to New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Hospital to be handled for burns. He mentioned docs advised him the burns affected a couple of third of his physique.

The suspect, recognized as 49-year-old Nile Taylor, was arrested and charged with first, second and third-degree assault, first-degree arson, reckless endangerment and extra, the NYPD mentioned.

Police officers tracked Taylor on the intersection of Canal Street and Renwick Street utilizing a cellphone he allegedly stole from one other subway rider.

Taylor was additionally charged with petit larceny, felony possession of a weapon and felony possession of stolen property within the fifth diploma.

Police are additionally investigating an identical encounter in February when a person threw a container with a flaming liquid at a gaggle of individuals on a subway platform within the West twenty eighth Street station.

While violent crime is uncommon within the metropolis’s subway system, which serves about 3 million riders a day, some high-profile assaults this yr have left some riders on edge. They embody the demise of a person who was shoved onto the tracks in East Harlem in March and some shootings.

Gov. Kathy Hochul in March introduced that a whole lot of National Guard members could be going into the subway system to spice up safety. City police mentioned 800 extra officers could be deployed to the subway to crack down on fare evasion.