A young woman is fighting for her life in a Chicago hospital after a horrifying attack on the city's subway system, where a man doused her in a flammable liquid and set her on fire.
A Terrifying Escalation on the Tracks
The violent incident occurred on the evening of Monday, 8 July 2024, at approximately 9:25pm. According to Chicago police, a 26-year-old woman was travelling on a CTA Blue Line train near the Clark/Lake station when she became involved in a verbal dispute with a man believed to be around 45 years old.
Witnesses reported that the argument quickly turned physical. In a shocking act of violence, the assailant produced an unknown fluid, which he poured over the woman's body before igniting it.
Chaos and Aftermath at the Scene
The train was brought to an immediate stop, allowing the suspect to flee the scene. The victim, engulfed in flames, managed to stumble out of the carriage and onto the platform. Bystanders and first responders acted quickly to extinguish the fire before police arrived on the scene.
One witness described the harrowing scene to Fox 32, stating, "Just seeing her lying on the ground and she was kind of hyperventilating and in a lot of pain. You could tell she was in really bad shape." Another witness told NBC Chicago they saw the woman on the ground receiving CPR, adding "she looked like she was in an awful lot of pain."
The woman was rushed to Stroger Hospital, where she is being treated for severe burns. Medical staff have confirmed her condition remains critical.
Ongoing Investigation and Broader Concerns
Train services on the Blue Line were severely disrupted, with normal operations only resuming at around 1:30am on Tuesday morning. An intensive investigation is now underway as authorities work to identify and locate the suspect, who remains at large.
This brutal attack has drawn disturbing parallels to a similar event in New York City late last year, where 57-year-old Debrina Kawam was set on fire and killed while sleeping on a subway car. The suspect in that case, 33-year-old Sebastián Zapeta, was subsequently charged with murder and arson.
The incident raises serious questions about public transport safety and the escalation of violence on urban transit systems.
