By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-28 21:05:41 | Updated at 2025-01-03 22:03:37
6 days ago
The homeless man who sustained burns to both legs and his upper body after catching fire inside Penn Station late Friday is now believed to have set himself ablaze.
Police and MTA sources told The Post on Saturday there is no evidence that a second person was involved in the shocking incident.
The 67-year-old man, who police have yet to identify, was found on fire by first responders at around 8 p.m. in a secluded tunnel not far from New Jersey Transit Tracks 11 and 12.
He was rushed to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in stable condition. On Saturday, medical personnel upgraded him to critical.
The victim told police he awoke to find he was on fire, and claimed the blaze was set by someone.
It remains unclear how the fire began, but no criminality appears to be involved, sources said.
The incident had commuters nevertheless shaken, with crime underground on the rise.
Friday’s shocking incident unfolded just days after a still-unidentified woman was torched to death while sleeping on an F train in Brooklyn on Dec. 23.
“That’s crazy,” commented Mike Jones, 28, a school safety officer from the Bronx who commutes to Penn Station. “I come through this area sometimes. It’s dangerous. It’s scary. Two people on fire, two different stations, and two stabbed at Grand Central Station — that’s dreadful.”
Ashley Cole, from Brooklyn, said he’s disgusted by the crime on the subways.
“I don’t think it’s completely safe [underground], but I’m not afraid,” the 75-year-old Cole said. “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.”
Homeless individuals inside Penn Station told The Post many of them carry matches and lighters, as many smoke crack or synthetic marijuana, like K2.
Murder and arson charges in the F train incident have been filed against Sebastian Zapeta, a Guatemalan migrant who had been deported in 2018.
