Woman set on fire in deadly attack aboard F train; person of interest in custody

CONEY ISLAND, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A person of interest is in custody after a woman was set on fire and killed aboard a subway train in Brooklyn on Sunday morning.

Officers arrived at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station just before 7:30 a.m. for a call of a woman needing assistance.

Police say the 33-year-old suspect walked up to the victim while they were both riding the F train and used a lighter to ignite the victim's clothing.

Officers who were on patrol went to investigate and saw the woman fully engulfed in flames inside the subway station. The officers extinguished the fire, and responding EMS technicians pronounced the woman dead.

The suspect and victim did not interact with each other



Police say three high schoolers called 911 once they identified the suspect, and officers were able to catch him on an F train in Herald Square,



The victim's age and identity are unknown at this time.

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