Teen sentenced for setting sleeping subway rider on fire at Penn Station in 2025
Hiram Carrero, of Manhattan, will serve 66 months behind bars for dropping a lit piece of paper near the 56-year-old man on Dec. 1. The victim later emerged from the subway car engulfed in flames and was left fighting for his life.
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A 19-year-old man was sentenced for setting a sleeping subway rider on fire at the 34th Street - Penn Station stop in 2025, according to Jay Clayton, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Hiram Carrero, of Manhattan, will serve 66 months behind bars for dropping a lit piece of paper near the 56-year-old man on Dec. 1. The victim later emerged from the subway car engulfed in flames and was left fighting for his life.
"Setting fire to another person is a breathtaking, horrific and unconscionable crime," said Clayton.
Prosecutors say the early morning attack was captured on surveillance video, showing Carrero stepping off the train and onto the platform after setting the blaze.
As the train traveled north, the flames spread, engulfing the victim's legs and part of the train car, court documents say.
The 56-year-old stumbled out of the train car at the 42nd Street - Times Square station, where first responders rushed to extinguish the flames. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
"Thanks to first responders and the women and men of the NYPD and the FDNY, the victim's life was saved, and a horrific tragedy was averted," said Clayton.
The NYPD released images of Carrero during the investigation. He was arrested days after the attack and pleaded guilty to arson on March 5, 2026.
Prosecutors say Carrero will also serve three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay restitution.
"Subway safety is front of mind for our Office, the NYPD, and our federal partners. Today's sentence demonstrates that anyone who terrorizes New Yorkers on the subway or anywhere else will face swift justice," said Clayton.
