Manhattan’s Penn Station was the setting of a harrowing scene on Friday night when a 67-year-old man was discovered with severe burns. The unidentified man, who has now been identified as homeless, was initially found ablaze by first responders in a secluded tunnel near New Jersey Transit Tracks. According to Gothamist, the victim was rushed to Weill Cornell Medical Center in a stable condition, but his status has deteriorated to critical.
While early reports were unclear on how the fire started, police now believe the man may have set himself on fire. Carrying matches and lighters, as many in the homeless community do in the station to smoke various substances, might be a contributing factor to the incident. "The victim told police he awoke to find he was on fire, and claimed the blaze was set by someone," however, subsequent investigations by police and MTA sources provided to The Post suggest no evidence of criminality or involvement of a second party.
This incident comes merely days after another fiery attack on a New York City subway, where a woman was fatally set on fire aboard an F train in Brooklyn. Sebastian Zapeta, a 33-year-old Guatemalan citizen, has been arrested and indicted on murder and arson charges in connection with the Brooklyn attack. Zapeta, who had been deported in 2018 and re-entered the United States at an unknown date, now faces life in prison without parole.
In response to the recent uptick of crimes, including the fire at Penn Station and other violent incidents, the Guardian Angels, led by Curtis Sliwa, have decided to resume their patrols in the subways. Sliwa told The Post, his "red beret-sporting Guardian Angels" are making a comeback, a decision catalyzed by the horrific event where the woman was set on fire. The sense of unease is tangible among daily commuters. "That's crazy," Mike Jones, a 28-year-old school safety officer who commutes through Penn Station, told The Post. "Two people on fire, two different stations, and two stabbed at Grand Central Station — that's dreadful."
The disturbing trend of subway crimes has not left passengers unshaken. Ashley Cole, a 75-year-old from Brooklyn, expressed his concerns to The Post, "I don’t think it’s completely safe [underground], but I'm not afraid. I try to pay attention to my surroundings, and I’m very sorry about what's happening. I don't know what's going on." With a palpable tension in the air and the increase of uniformed patrols, commuters and residents wait for concrete solutions to the unsettling events that are reshaping their sense of security in the city's underground veins.
