Authorities in New York City announced on Sunday that a man has been charged with assault in addition to other offenses after he tossed a burning canister of flammable liquid at a train passenger.
The New York Police Department reported that Nile Taylor, 49, was taken into custody on Saturday after he tossed a combustible material at a male, 23, at a lower Manhattan subway station.
In relation to the two occurrences, he is charged with several offenses, including criminal possession of a firearm, criminal possession of stolen property, reckless endangerment, assault, and arson.
Taylor, according to the police, was also behind an incident of a similar nature early in February.
NYPD said last month that they were looking for a man who, on February 5, reportedly threw a cup of flammable liquid at individuals who were waiting on a Manhattan subway platform. The incident resulted in no reported injuries.
Officials claim that despite a drop in overall crime through the first quarter of 2024 in New York City, a number of violent occurrences on the city’s subway system have alarmed locals.
These comprise a man who was fatally shoved into tracks in March, a train conductor who had a slit neck in late February, and many gunshots that have occurred in recent months.
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As a subway train was approaching the station, Taylor hurled the combustible material at the 23-year-old rider, burning his upper body, according to police. Along with the blazing liquid, the victim’s shirt caught fire.
Police said that the victim was then taken to New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center for treatment.
He told that he smacked himself with his hands to put out the flames and claimed he kept his cousin and fiancée away from the flaming fluids. About thirty percent of his body was burned, according to the doctors, he stated.
“He had a cup … something inside, like oil, he made fire and he threw it all,” said the victim.
Shortly after the incident, Taylor was taken into custody after police found a phone that he had purportedly stolen.
