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Video shows man on NYC subway who set fire next to sleeping passenger, NYPD says

NYPD wants your help finding NYC subway arson suspect
NYPD wants your help finding NYC subway arson suspect 00:40

NEW YORK - The NYPD wants your help identifying a man they say set off several small fires in Lower Manhattan and Queens, including one on board a subway train. 

It happened early in the morning on Friday, Jan. 10. The subway incident was caught on video. 

The video shows the suspect setting a fire inside a northbound J train at the Woodhaven Avenue station right next to a sleeping passenger. The incident is eerily similar to the December killing of Debrina Kawam, 57, who died after being set on fire while sleeping on a train in Coney Island

The spree started at around 2:20 a.m., police said, when the suspect started a fire to a marked NYPD emergency vehicle parked on Murray Street in Manhattan. A few minutes later, the NYPD says the suspect started another fire, damaging an unoccupied vehicle. A short time later, near the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall subway station, the same suspect allegedly lit a paper cup on fire and threw it into a garbage can. Finally, at 3:40 a.m., the incident on the J train took place. 

Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.

Subway security in the spotlight

It's just the most recent incident in the New York City subway system that has drawn scrutiny and sparked safety concerns. On New Year's Eve, a man was randomly pushed onto the tracks in Chelsea.

This is all happening aas the MTA has recently launched congestion pricing as part of a push to draw more riders to mass transit, and make improvements in service. 

On Thursday, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $77 million to place two police officers on every subway during overnight hours

"We cannot allow our subway to be a rolling homeless shelter," Hochul said in her State of the State

The governor is also calling for additional funding to install protective barriers, LED lights and updated turnstiles, along with expanded mental health outreach. 

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