Hiram Carrero appears on surveillance video moments before prosecutors say he set a sleeping subway rider on fire near 34th Street Penn Station and jumped off the train. The victim (shown in inset) suffered critical injuries in the attack. 

By Josh Lanier From Daily Voice

Federal prosecutors charged an 18-year-old man with setting a rider on fire inside a New York City subway car, an act officials called one of the most violent the system has seen.

Hiram Carrero was arrested and charged with arson resulting in injury to another person in connection with the Dec. 1 attack, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York said.

Investigators say Carrero boarded a northbound train around 3 a.m. at the 34th Street–Penn Station stop in Midtown. Surveillance video shows him pick up a piece of paper, set it on fire, and press it against a man sleeping on the train. He jumped off as the doors closed, the prosecutor said.

As the train moved ahead, flames spread up the man's leg and through part of the subway car. When the train arrived at 42nd Street–Times Square, the victim, now engulfed in flames, stumbled onto the platform. Nearby officers rushed to put out the fire.

Paramedics took the man to a nearby hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

The callousness of the crime has stunned even seasoned police veterans.

“As alleged, Hiram Carrero committed a horrific arson, starting a fire inside of a New York City subway car where a victim was sleeping,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “As a result of that arson, the victim has suffered severe injuries. The New York City subway is the heart of our City, with millions of people who live and work here relying on it every day. New Yorkers have the right to be safe and feel safe when they ride the subway, and our Office is committed to that result.”

Carrero is charged with arson resulting in injury to another person, the prosecutor said. The charge carries a mandatory minimum of seven years in prison and up to 40 years.