2023-08-31 01:58:56
NEW YORK — A man inside a Manhattan subway station was setting newspapers on fire before throwing the burning items at passengers, police say, and the suspect is still on the loose.
The video showed the chaos inside the station East 33rd Street in Park Avenue. A witness, Stephen Carlstrom, said the man was near the turnstile arguing with high school students on the platform, when the fiery words turned into live fire as the suspect burned newspapers.
“I was thinking it was going to blow up on the platform and cause a delay for everyone or worse,” Carlstrom said.
The man did not stop, but started a bigger fire. Carlstrom put out those flames.
“I have this big water bottle with me that I had on a crossbody strap. I popped the lid off and spilled water on it. I stomped on it with some of the students that were on the train,” Carlstrom told NBC New York.
Knowing that first responders were not around, Carlstrom captured the man on video, which he did not like. He then launched a fireball at the Kips Bay resident, the video shows.
“As soon as he saw me approaching with a camera, he threw the newspaper at me,” Carlstrom said.
Without finishing his tirade, the man started another fire underground, but the flames were too big this time for Carlstrom to extinguish.
“The entrance was full of smoke and when you start a fire with a newspaper and you see the ashes in the air, I started to see them and I thought: we have to get out of here,” he said. “The kids on the train and I wanted to get off and call 911.”
The man has not been identified and police are still looking for him. Anyone with information regarding the suspect or the incident should contact the police.
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