NYPD looking for man accused of setting homeless subway rider on fire at Penn Station

Man Set Homeless Subway Rider Ablaze at Penn Station, NYPD Seeks Perpetrator

A 56-year-old homeless man suffered severe burns after being set on fire in a shocking incident aboard a northbound subway train at Penn Station early Monday morning. The alleged assault took place during the busy hours of the night when the victim was sleeping on the train.

According to police, the suspect, described as a white male wearing a gray jacket, black hat, black pants, and black boots with a backpack, entered the train car and lit the victim's pants ablaze before exiting the train. Witnesses reported that the perpetrator walked back onto the platform before fleeing the scene on another northbound 3 train.

The victim was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center for treatment of significant leg burns. The investigation is ongoing, with police still trying to determine if the suspect used the same subway train as the victim.

The NYPD has released a description of the perpetrator and is urging anyone with information about Monday's incident to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit tips online. This story may be updated as more information becomes available.

omg thats so sick, like what if he wasnt even doing anything wrong? the guy just wanted a place to sleep and someone does this to him i feel bad for him and his family, hope he recovers soon his jacket is literally covered in blood and ash, that's wild also why do ppl even do this kinda thing? didnt they learn from all those movies where people get revenge or something? its just so random how someone can be so mean like this

OMG, can you even imagine walking onto a subway train and seeing some dude light a homeless person on fire?! That's like something straight out of a horror movie. I'm literally shaking thinking about it. The fact that this happened at Penn Station, which is already super crowded, makes it even more terrifying.

I feel so bad for the guy who got burned. Poor dude was just trying to get some rest and ended up being set on fire. It's like, what's wrong with people?! And now they're asking around if anyone saw this guy or knows anything about it? Like, where was everyone else at that time?! I hope they catch this guy ASAP and bring him to justice.

can't believe this guy did that like, what's wrong with humans?? no empathy whatsoever. and the fact he walked back onto the platform before escaping is just crazy . this is why we need more mental health support and resources for homeless people, it's not like they're just random victims, they're human beings too . and the police should be doing more to catch him ASAP, I mean, 56-year-old victim with severe burns, that's not exactly hard to track down

This guy who set the homeless guy on fire... what was he thinkin'? Like, can't even walk away from someone in distress, right? And now this poor guy's stuck with severe burns... hope he recovers soon . I'm so tired of people being cruel to others just because they're down on their luck . Like, we should all be tryin' to help each other out, not hurt each other .

This is so messed up . I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that someone would do such a heinous thing to another human being, especially in a place where people are supposed to feel safe on public transportation . The images of the victim with severe burns must be haunting, and I can only imagine how traumatic this experience will be for him .

It's heartbreaking that our city has homeless individuals who are struggling to survive, and now we have to worry about their safety and well-being even more . As a society, we need to come together to address the root causes of homelessness and provide support systems for those in need .

The fact that the perpetrator is still on the loose is alarming, but I'm hopeful that the NYPD will catch him soon . Until then, I want to see more community engagement and support for our homeless friends. We can't just sit back and watch as people like this guy get hurt .

I mean, what was that guy thinking ?! I know we should have more support for homeless people and stuff, but still, setting someone on fire is like, way too much! The victim could've died or something. But at the same time, like, maybe this guy was just desperate and didn't know what else to do? I don't know... it's all so confusing . And I know we need more police presence in subways and stuff, but also, can't we just try to help people get off the streets instead of, you know, punishing them for being homeless? It's like, what's the answer here?

Oh noooo, this is so sad! The guy who did this was literally a monster . I mean, what kinda person sets someone on fire just for sleeping on the train? It's like, get a job or do something productive, don't go around hurting innocent people!

I'm really glad the victim is alive and getting help . This kind of hate crime has got to stop . We gotta look out for each other and be all about kindness and empathy . The NYPD should catch this guy ASAP and make sure he faces justice .

And ugh, the fact that the perpetrator walked away like nothing happened? That's just messed up! We need to be more vigilant and look out for each other on public transportation . Fingers crossed the police catch this guy and bring him to justice

Ugh, can't believe this happens at Penn Station... like, what kinda sick person sets someone on fire in public? The NYPD is doing their thing but I'm sure it's gonna take them forever to catch the guy... meanwhile the victim is just lying there in the hospital with those nasty burns and no idea how they're even gonna pay for all this. And don't even get me started on the witnesses who saw this whole thing go down but didn't do anything... like, what kinda bystanders just stand around while someone's getting torched? It's so frustrating when these things happen...

what a total sicko ... can't believe someone would do this to another human being, just 'cause they're homeless .. and what's with the cowardly act of setting them on fire in their sleep? like, no remorse whatsoever... should be locked up for life .

This is so messed up, like what's wrong with people these days? A homeless guy just trying to get from one place to another and gets set on fire because of his situation. It's not right. I feel bad for the victim, poor guy must be going through a lot already. The fact that the perpetrator walked back onto the platform and then fled is crazy. You'd think someone would've stopped him or called 911 by now.

I'm also wondering how did he even get away with this? Did he know the subway system well enough to blend in? I hope they catch the guy soon, but it's scary thinking about what could've happened if more people weren't watching. Has anyone seen that video of the 3 train that was just a block away from where the incident happened? I'd love to see that...

this world is just getting crazier, a dude sets another homeless guy on fire in a subway car can't believe people are so cruel and now they're asking for help from us to figure out who the bad guy is like what's wrong with being kind to someone? we need more empathy not less

OMG, this is just so sickening !! I mean, can you even imagine being in that situation? The victim's pants on fire and people just sitting there doing nothing? It's like they're all frozen in fear or something . How could someone do this to another human being?! It's just... ugh!

And the fact that he walked back onto the platform, like it didn't even phase him, is what really gets me . The perpetrator thinks they can just walk away and not face any consequences? No way, dude! They're going to catch this guy for sure . I hope the victim makes a full recovery, but this is just so sad .

I'm literally shaking thinking about this incident... how could people be so heartless? Can't we all just get along?! This is just crazy !

Ugh, this guy who set that homeless dude on fire is like literally the most despicable person ever! I don't know what's wrong with people these days, can't we all just get along? The fact that he walked back onto the platform after doing that to someone and then fled the scene is just so messed up. And the worst part is that guy was literally asleep on the train, just trying to survive, you know? It's like he didn't even care about human life or anything.

I feel so bad for the victim, poor guy is gonna be in a lot of pain and have some serious scars from this. And it's not like he did anything to deserve that, just because he was homeless doesn't mean he's less worthy of respect or compassion. We should all be speaking out against this kind of violence and intolerance, rather than sitting back and doing nothing.

Oh man, this is just heartbreaking! Can't believe someone would do that to another human being in such a vulnerable position . The poor guy was just trying to get to his destination without any issues and then gets attacked like this... it's just not right .

I hope the victim recovers soon and that the police catch the person who did this and bring them to justice . It's people like these who make us question the world we live in, you know? We need more kindness and compassion in our lives, not hate and violence . I'm sending positive vibes for the victim and his loved ones .

man, this is just so crazy how can someone do something like that to another human being in a place where they're already vulnerable enough? I mean, the guy was just trying to survive on the streets and then gets set on fire on his way home it's just heartbreaking.

I'm all for keeping our subway trains clean, but this is just taking it to a whole new level . And what really gets me is that the perpetrator didn't even get caught because he walked away before the train stopped . I hope the NYPD finds him soon and makes sure justice is served.

It's also making me think about how we can better support our homeless community in this city . We need to do more than just talk about it, we need to take action and make sure these people have access to the resources they need to survive .

Ugh, can't believe this is still happening on our subways . Like, a homeless guy just needs a break and someone sets him on fire... it's insane . And the worst part is, the NYPD doesn't even know if he used the same train as the perpetrator . I mean, come on! How hard is that to find out?! It just feels like they're doing everything they can to catch this dude... and it's taking forever .

And what about our subway riders who are already vulnerable? Like, we should be trying to help them not harm them, you know? Instead, we have people like this guy running around, causing chaos and destruction . It just makes me so frustrated .

Ugh, this guy who set that homeless person on fire at Penn Station? What's wrong with him?! That poor guy was just minding his own business, sleeping on the train, and then BAM! He's attacked like that. It's not right. And to think he walked off that subway car like it didn't even happen to him...

I feel so bad for the guy who got burned though. I hope he's okay. Like, really okay. Not just okay enough to walk around without needing a wheelchair or something. The police should catch this guy ASAP and make sure he pays for what he did. It's not right that someone can just do something like that and get away with it.

omg this is sooooo sad!!! u cant even imagine someone doin dat 2 some1 who's already strugglin 2 get by on the streets... homeless ppl r alrdy facin so much 2nd class treatment & now sum1 gotta go n set dem ablaze?? its just not right... i hop de guy finds de perpetrator soon & gets de help he needs

just can't believe what happened to that guy, set on fire by some stranger... it's just so senseless and awful . homeless people already struggle so much, living on the streets, no shelter, no basic dignity. this just shows how far we've got to go as a society, prioritizing compassion over hate or whatever drives someone to do such a thing .

anyway, i hope the guy recovers from his burns and gets the help he needs. it's just heartbreaking that people are still hurting each other like this... we need more love and kindness in our lives .