Man allegedly attacked New York subway passengers with burning liquid

NEW YORK (AP) — A man lit a cup of liquid on fire and threw it at another subway rider in New York City, setting the victim’s shirt on fire and injuring him, police said Sunday.

The random attack occurred on a 1 train in Lower Manhattan on Saturday afternoon, city police said, adding that the suspect was in custody on several criminal charges. Authorities also charged the man in connection with a similar arson attack on the subway in February.

Saturday’s victim, a 23-year-old man, was recovering in a hospital. He said the New York Post He said he was protecting his fiancée and cousin from the burning liquid and his shirt caught fire. He slapped himself to put out the flames. Doctors told him he had burns on about a third of his body, he said.

“He had a cup,” the victim told the Post. “He lit a fire and threw everything away.”

While violent crime is rare In the city’s subway system, which carries about 3 million passengers a day, a number of high-profile attacks this year have left some riders on edge. These include the death of a man who pushed onto the tracks in East Harlem in March and several shootings.

The suspect in Saturday’s robbery, Nile Taylor, 49, was arrested shortly after the incident when police traced a phone he allegedly stole from another subway rider to his location, authorities said. He has been charged with assault, arson, illegal possession of a firearm and several other offenses.

It was not immediately clear whether Taylor had a lawyer who could respond to the allegations or when he would go to trial.

On Sunday afternoon, authorities also announced that Taylor was charged with attempted assault, reckless endangerment and arson in connection with the February attack. Police said he threw a container of a burning liquid at a group of people on a subway platform at the West 28th Street station. No one was injured.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced in March that Hundreds of National Guard members would go into the subway system to increase security. The city police said 800 additional officials would be used in the subway to combat fare evasion.