My condolences to the victim and her loved ones. This horrible crime should have never occurred and I hope the suspect is held accountable under the full extent of the law. He had no right to her life, person or safety or to cause the large amount of pain and harm she suffered.
It saddens me even to learn that based on the presence of a walker, the victim may have limited mobility, which may have further hindered her ability to get help or to move as she got off the ground and attempted to exit the subway car.
If someone was already on fire to the point of being "engulfed," I don't imagine there's much that your average bystander could do without also becoming a victim. LE were alerted quickly and attempted to respond appropriately with training and equipment, I don't really see the need to make this an issue about bystanders not doing something.
I agree.
I think too it might be that it wasn’t that nearby bystanders didn’t want to help, but perhaps didn’t know how?
For example, it was mentioned in an article posted by CNN, that at the time the victim was tragically attacked, there was numerous items of clothing and liquor bottles around her. Unfortunately, both the clothing and any remaining alcohol inside the bottles could have accelerated the fire and caused the clothing she was wearing on her person to quickly ignite. It is highly recommended that a fire extinguisher, and not water, be used to smother and put out flames in which alcohol may have been used as an accelerant. Of course, unlike when in their own car or truck, many, if not most, members of the public do not carry fire extinguishers on their person, especially not when taking public transportation. Even for those whose first thoughts were towards using a fire extinguisher, they may not have known where to find one on the bus or train they are riding on. That plus the initial shock, fear and disbelief of the horror they are witnessing before them may understandably cause many witnesses to freeze or turn and run to find someone who can help as they themselves are overwhelmed and unsure of what exactly is going on, only that one person, and possibly more, is in danger and has been terribly hurt.
It did seem like police and the conductors acted as quickly as possible in attempt to save that poor woman’s life and that upon learning that the victim’s life has been lost and that her murderer had escaped from the crime scene, young members of the public fortunately acted swiftly, and thereby helped make sure the perp was caught and apprehended for what he had done, by alerting LE where and when exactly they themselves had seen the alleged killer.
JMT/JMO
A 33-year-old man was charged Monday for allegedly setting on fire and killing a woman on a New York subway train in what authorities called a “brutal murder” and an example of “depraved behavior.”
amp.cnn.com
There are six different types of fire & each one must be put out by a corresponding fire extinguisher. Pyrotec explains how to handle each fire type.
www.pyrotec.co.uk
www.nytimes.com
