A person of interest was taken into custody after a 26-year-old woman was set on fire while riding a busy Chicago Transit Authority train in the city’s popular Loop, police said.
Police did not offer additional information on the person of interest, but noted an investigation into the case “remains ongoing.”
The 26-year-old was riding a Blue Line train just before 9:30 p.m. Monday when police said she got into an argument with a man believed to be about 45 years old.
The man ultimately poured liquid on the woman and ignited it, setting her on fire, authorities said.
The train came to a stop at the Clark and Lake stop and the man fled the scene as the woman stumbled out of the car and collapsed.
She was taken by the Chicago Fire Department to a nearby hospital with “severe burns about the body.” She was last listed in critical condition.
According to police, the fire was out by the time authorities arrived.
A witness described the aftermath of the harrowing event, saying the woman appeared to be in a “really bad state.”
“I just saw a lady that was laying in the ground, and they were trying to give her CPR,” the witness said. “And she looked like she was in an awful lot of pain.”
At about 1:30 a.m., service resumed on the Blue Line, according to the CTA, with trains running on schedule as of Tuesday morning.
Arson detectives from the Chicago Police Department were investigating, officials said.
The CTA said it was “working closely” with investigators “to support their investigation and ensure the offender is quickly apprehended.”
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
