High School Student Charged In Fire That Burned Subway Passenger In New York City

New York City high school senior Hiram Carrero was jailed Friday on a federal arson charge. Police say the 18-year-old set a fire that severely burned a sleeping subway passenger. The fire, which happened last Monday morning, is the latest in a string of incidents of people being set on fire on public transit across the U.S. Carrero was not required to enter a plea during his arraignment in Manhattan federal court.

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Hiram Carrero Lit Fire On Subway

U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni ordered Hiram Carrero detained, citing the “heinousness of the crime.” This came after prosecutors appealed Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger’s decision to release the teen to home confinement under his mother’s supervision.

“It’s hard for me to understand why an 18-year-old young man who’s in high school is out at 3 o’clock in the morning setting people on fire,” Judge Caproni said.

Carrero allegedly ignited a piece of paper and dropped it near the 56-year-old sleeping passenger. That happened around 3 a.m. Monday on a northbound 3 train at the 34th Street—Penn Station stop near Madison Square Garden and Macy’s flagship store in midtown Manhattan. The passenger stumbled to the platform at the next station, 42nd Street—Times Square. His legs and torso were on fire, according to surveillance images included in Carrero’s criminal complaint.

Subway Passenger Taken To Hospital After Burning

According to the complaint, the 18-year-old stepped onto the train only briefly, lit the fire and then fled the station while the passenger lay burning. He then took a bus home. Police officers quickly extinguished the flames and the subway passenger was taken to a hospital. According to AP, he was listed in critical condition.

“The victim very well could have died in this case,” prosecutor Cameron Molis said.

Police arrested Hiram Carrero on Thursday (Dec. 4) in Harlem, where his lawyer said he lives with his disabled mother. The teen acts as her primary caregiver, bringing her to medical appointments. His mom attended his arraignment but declined to speak to reporters.

According to the complaint, investigators zeroed in on Carrero by comparing images from the subway incident to body-worn camera footage recorded in October. Back then, police had stopped him for riding his bicycle through a red light. Brown said he was delivering for Uber Eats at the time. The teenager and subway suspect whom investigators were searching for had the same distinctive mustache, a hat with white lettering across the front, a backpack, and a gray hooded sweatshirt in both sets of images.

Second Judge Reverses Home Confinement Order

Carrero’s lawyer, Jennifer Brown, said there was “no disagreement that the allegations are extremely serious.” But, she said, Carrero is a “very young man with no (criminal) record and a mother willing to take him in.”

Before Judge Caproni stepped in, Judge Lehrburger had agreed to release the teen to home confinement with electronic monitoring and a requirement that he undergo a mental health evaluation and submit to drug testing. Caproni reversed the decision at an after-hours hearing on Friday (Dec. 5).

Attorney Brown, attempting to convince her to uphold Carrero’s release, cited news reports that investigators had been looking into whether the passenger had set himself on fire.

What Happens Next?

If a jury convicts him, Hiram Carrero faces at least seven years in prison. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 4. However, it will be canceled if prosecutors bring the case to a grand jury and secure an indictment by then.

Meanwhile, Carrero is not facing charges in state court. The case ultimately ended up in federal court, in part because a federal task force investigated it alongside the city’s police and fire departments.

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Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.