A sleeping woman was killed after her body was set on fire on the New York City subway, police said.
The incident happened Sunday morning at a Coney Island station, where an F train carrying the victim was stationary. The woman did not die immediately, but only succumbed to her injuries after police found her burned at the scene.
Officers who responded to the scene after receiving a call from a woman in need of assistance were seen using a tarpaulin to cover one of the train’s windows – apparently to block the view of the gruesome scene.
They have since discovered that an unknown man, captured on CCTV at the station, set her on fire at around 7.29am, sparking a murder investigation.
By the time they arrived, the woman had already been engulfed, officers said in a statement hours later — as they continued to search for the perpetrator seen on surveillance footage taken at the scene.
Officers added how the woman was found with a litany of liquor bottles – via law enforcement sources who spoke The New York Post said investigators remain baffled as to whether that played a role in the fire.
Police also revealed how they extinguished the fire before the woman died from her injuries at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station.
That was around 7:30 a.m., minutes after the still-free man walked past the unnamed woman and threw a match. The man, who allegedly crashed into the train as it was being pulled in, fled the station. Photos of him have since been released as he remains at large.
A sleeping woman was killed early Sunday morning after her body was set on fire on the New York City subway, police have revealed
They have since discovered that an unknown man, caught on camera at the station, set her on fire at 7.29am, sparking a murder investigation.
They depict a man, approximately 25 to 30 years old, and have been released to the public along with a statement.
“On Sunday…at approximately 7:29 a.m., an unidentified female victim was sleeping aboard a stationary ‘F’ train at the Stillwell Avenue subway station when an unknown male subject approached and set the victim on fire,” it said.
“The individual then left the subway. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.’
Officers then asked for assistance in locating the suspect and described him as a man, 6 feet tall and 300 pounds.
“He was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, a dark-colored knit hat with a red band and brown boots,” the bulletin continued, sharing three CCTV images from the Brooklyn subway station.
“A reward of up to $10,000 has been offered by Crime Stoppers for information relating to this incident.”
The statement was circulated around 1:30 PM ET. DailyMail.com has contacted the department for more information.
No information was available about the female victim and the suspect’s motive – if any – still remains unclear.
No information was available about the female victim and the suspect’s motive – if any – remains unclear. He is seen again here in the third of three photos circulated since the incident
The woman did not die immediately, police said, but only succumbed to her injuries after police found her burning dead at the scene
Officers on the scene after receiving a call from a woman in need of help were seen using a tarpaulin to cover one of the train’s windows – apparently to block the view of the gruesome scene
Officers are asking for assistance in locating the suspect and describe him as a man, 6 feet tall and 150 pounds, between 20 and 35 years old.
One of the photos released by the NYPD appears to have been taken by straphangar, showing the suspect on a bench at an unspecified station.
The others show him in the same clothing, apparently in the subway car in question, where police extinguished the fire and paramedics pronounced the woman dead at the scene.
As a result, platforms 5 and 6, next to that of the F train, were cordoned off with police tape.
Service for the F train — the same line where Long Island’s Daniel Perry strangled an aggressive homeless man — was shut down in both directions.
As of 2:45 PM ET, a suspect had yet to be named. Police have not announced any arrests.
This is a development story; check for updates.