New York City police arrested two suspected attackers after a 37-year-old man was set on fire by Penn Station.
A second person is now in custody after a 37-year-old homeless man was set on fire outside of Penn Station in New York City. 47-year old-Damon Johnson of Brooklyn and 33-year-old Lyla Najjar of Queens were arrested in connection with the arson attack.
The victim was sleeping or lying in an old taxiway when two men and a woman approached him just before 9 p.m. on Tuesday. "You look up above the escalator, there's a gentleman on fire, flames completely engulfed, he's running back and forth trying to get it out, people are trying to pat him down," said witness Sam Stalone. The victim then went into the Amtrak rotunda area, where someone told him to roll around to extinguish the flames. Surveillance video also shows Amtrak police rushing up an escalator in the rotunda area to try to assist the victim. "Everyone was just completely shocked, they didn't know what happened, nobody knew what was going on, then the firefighters came," Stalone said. The fire was quickly put out but the victim suffered second degree burns to his arm and back. He was taken to the hospital.Police believe he set the victim's jacket on fire. Johnson was caught on camera crouching and leaning over the victim for some time before walking away. Johnson is charged with attempted murder, assault and reckless endangerment. He pleaded not guilty and was held without bail. Johnson has about 131 prior arrests dating back to 1995 in the Bronx. He is on parole for a 2018 robbery, when he slashed a student's face and took taking cash from his pockets. That victim required more than 100 stitches. Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo,Mamdani, Hochul unveil first New York City neighborhoods to get free child care for 2-year-oldsUS military carries out 1st land operation against cartels in Ecuador: SOUTHCOM
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