Passenger suffered burns after being set on fire

A man has been charged with assault, among other things, after he lit a container of flammable liquid and threw it at a subway passenger in New York, authorities said Sunday.

Nile Taylor, 49, was arrested Saturday after throwing a flammable substance at a 23-year-old man in a subway station in Lower Manhattan, New York police told USA TODAY. He faces several charges, including attempted assault, battery, arson, reckless endangerment, petit larceny, illegal possession of a weapon and illegal possession of stolen property in connection with the two incidents, police said.

According to police, Taylor was also responsible for a similar attack in early February.

PIX 11 News reported last month that police were searching for a man who allegedly threw a cup of burning flammable liquid at people standing on a subway platform in Manhattan on February 5. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Although crime in New York City declined overall in the first quarter of 2024, according to NYPD data, several violent incidents in the city’s subway system have left residents on edge, officials said. These include several shootings in recent months, a train conductor who was slashed in the neck in late February, and a man who was fatally pushed onto the tracks in March.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced in March that hundreds of National Guard troops would be deployed to busy train stations for additional security. Last month, the New York Police Department said an additional 800 officers had been deployed to the subway to crack down on fare evasion.

Police: Victim suffered burns when his shirt was set on fire

The 23-year-old subway passenger suffered burns to his upper body after Taylor threw the flammable substance at him as a subway train pulled into the station, police said. The burning liquid also caused the victim’s shirt to catch fire.

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