Argument turns violent: Woman set on fire on Chicago train
A 26-year-old woman is in critical condition and fighting for her life after being doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire during a late-evening altercation aboard a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Blue Line train, authorities said.
The horrific incident occurred around 9:25 p.m. Monday, November 17, as the train was traveling through the Loop, approaching the Clark and Lake station, Chicago police reported. According to investigators, the woman and her male attacker, believed to be about 45 years old, engaged in a verbal dispute, which escalated into violence when the man allegedly poured a liquid on her and then callously ignited it, according to NBC News in Chicago and CBS News.
As of this writing, the victim’s name has not yet been publicly released. She sustained severe burns to her scalp and upper torso — and was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, according to police and firefighters. Good Samaritan bystanders extinguished the flames before emergency responders arrived.
A witness on the scene, Michael Thomas, said: “She had severe burns all over her upper torso and half of her scalp was burnt off,” Thomas, 40, told the Chicago Sun-Times. “She was lucid and conscious and talking. I believe I overheard something along the lines of, ‘I can’t believe I’m on fire.’”
Chicago police say that they have the 45-year-old attacker in custody and that he is their primary person of interest. Officials have not yet disclosed his name, any possible motive, or whether he and the victim knew each other.
As the train stopped, the suspect reportedly fled, while the victim “stumbled out” of the car and collapsed on the platform. One witness, Christopher Flores, told CBS Chicago: “She was running off the train … completely engulfed in fire.” Another bystander, Thomas, said a group of roughly two dozen people gathered around her; one woman comforted her, holding her hand and saying, “It’s going to be OK.”
Some onlookers recorded the scene on their phones, Thomas said, adding that the behavior exposed a “lack of compassion … for someone in such a distressed state.” ~ Chicago Sun-Times
For now, the Chicago Police Department is coordinating with the CTA to support the investigation and expedite any necessary action. As the investigation continues, authorities are urging anyone with information — especially anyone who may have been on the train or captured the event on video — to please come forward.
For more on this disturbing story, see the video below.
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(Additional Sources: ABC News, The Guardian)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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