Latest York City highschool senior Hiram Carrero was jailed Friday on a federal arson charge. Police say the 18-year-old set a fireplace that severely burned a sleeping subway passenger. The fireplace, which happened last Monday morning, is the most recent in a string of incidents of individuals being set on fire on public transit across the U.S. Carrero was not required to enter a plea during his arraignment in Manhattan federal court.
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Hiram Carrero Lit Fire On Subway
U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni ordered Hiram Carrero detained, citing the “heinousness of the crime.” This got here after prosecutors appealed Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger’s decision to release the teenager to home confinement under his mother’s supervision.
“It’s hard for me to know why an 18-year-old young man who’s in highschool is out at 3 o’clock within the morning setting people on fire,” Judge Caproni said.
Carrero allegedly ignited a bit of paper and dropped it near the 56-year-old sleeping passenger. That happened around 3 a.m. Monday on a northbound 3 train on the thirty fourth Street—Penn Station stop near Madison Square Garden and Macy’s flagship store in midtown Manhattan. The passenger stumbled to the platform at the following station, forty second Street—Times Square. His legs and torso were on fire, in line with surveillance images included in Carrero’s criminal criticism.
Subway Passenger Taken To Hospital After Burning
In response to the criticism, the 18-year-old stepped onto the train only briefly, lit the fireplace after which fled the station while the passenger lay burning. He then took a bus home. Law enforcement officials quickly extinguished the flames and the subway passenger was taken to a hospital. In response to AP, he was listed in critical condition.
“The victim thoroughly could have died on this case,” prosecutor Cameron Molis said.
Police arrested Hiram Carrero on Thursday (Dec. 4) in Harlem, where his lawyer said he lives along with his disabled mother. The teenager acts as her primary caregiver, bringing her to medical appointments. His mom attended his arraignment but declined to talk to reporters.
In response to the criticism, investigators zeroed in on Carrero by comparing images from the subway incident to body-worn camera footage recorded in October. Back then, police had stopped him for riding his bicycle through a red light. Brown said he was delivering for Uber Eats on the time. The teenager and subway suspect whom investigators were trying to find had the identical distinctive mustache, a hat with white lettering across the front, a backpack, and a gray hooded sweatshirt in each sets of images.
Second Judge Reverses Home Confinement Order
Carrero’s lawyer, Jennifer Brown, said there was “no disagreement that the allegations are extremely serious.” But, she said, Carrero is a “very young man with no (criminal) record and a mother willing to take him in.”
Before Judge Caproni stepped in, Judge Lehrburger had agreed to release the teenager to home confinement with electronic monitoring and a requirement that he undergo a mental health evaluation and undergo drug testing. Caproni reversed the choice at an after-hours hearing on Friday (Dec. 5).
Attorney Brown, attempting to persuade her to uphold Carrero’s release, cited news reports that investigators had been looking into whether the passenger had set himself on fire.
What Happens Next?
If a jury convicts him, Hiram Carrero faces at the very least seven years in prison. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 4. Nevertheless, it would be canceled if prosecutors bring the case to a grand jury and secure an indictment by then.
Meanwhile, Carrero shouldn’t be facing charges in state court. The case ultimately ended up in federal court, partly because a federal task force investigated it alongside the town’s police and fire departments.
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Associated Press author Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
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