MTA's subway camera bet pays off in arrest after fatal F train fire

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul spent Sunday morning discussing various state issues, including the installation of surveillance cameras on every New York City subway car.

The MTA has finished installing 13,000 cameras on its 6,455 subway cars — an effort that complements the 10,000 cameras already in place across the city’s subway stations, Hochul said.

The project, which the governor originally championed in 2022, was completed ahead of schedule, with the governor noting that it was part of a broader initiative to improve safety and boost confidence in the subway system. Ridership has increased by 148% since January 2021, while crime has decreased by 42% during the same period, according to the governor.

Speaking on "Up Close with Bill Ritter" on ABC7, Hochul emphasized the impact of the finished $5.5 million program, which had been accelerated in response to rising subway ridership.

"[Subway riders] have to know that if they're on a train, something happens to them that the perpetrators will be caught," the governor said. "I cannot tell you how impactful that has been, not just to catch people after they've done something, but I want to create a deterrent, let the potential wrongdoers know that you're going to be caught. We'll have your face. So don't even bother."

Just hours after Hochul’s remarks on Sunday, officials revealed that the on-board cameras helped secure an arrest in a deadly incident aboard an F train in Brooklyn earlier that day.

Authorities said a man set a woman on fire around 7:30 a.m. at the Stillwell Avenue station. The attacker allegedly ignited her clothing with a lighter, and the flames spread quickly through the subway car. Despite efforts by officers and an MTA employee to extinguish the fire, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said three “high-school-aged” students recognized the man from photos police released in the hours following the brutal attack.

"We asked the media to broadcast those images far and wide so we could use the viewing public as a force multiplier and New Yorkers came through again," Tisch said at a press conference announcing the arrest on Sunday evening.

MTA Chief Security Officer Michael Kemper credited the cameras as essential in solving the crime, pointing to the footage that provided vital evidence and helped lead to the identification of the suspect.

"Today's brutal murder was captured on one of those onboard train video cameras," he said on Sunday. "It offered detectives immediate answers to questions that they had."

NYPD Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta also highlighted the significant role the subway cameras played in investigations. He said that while this was not the first arrest tied to the cameras, it was one of the first high-profile cases to see a swift resolution within hours of the crime.

"This has solved many crimes through the system. It's a game-changer for us in the NYPD and it makes a tremendous difference," Gulotta said on Sunday. "This is not the first time we've used these cameras. As they rolled out, they've been an intricate part of our investigations with the detective bureau in solving crimes."

The installation of subway cameras was part of a plan announced in 2022, just months before another high-profile incident aboard a subway train garnered national attention. The F train where Daniel Penny placed Jordan Neely in a chokehold in 2023 lacked MTA cameras. However, cell phone footage from another passenger proved pivotal in Penny’s trial, which ended with a not guilty verdict in December.

The governor has also increased the level of oversight inside the city's subways. Last week, she opted to deploy an additional 250 members of the National Guard into the system, bringing the total number of troops up to 1,000 by the end of 2024.

Contributed reporting by Stephen Nessen and Brittany Kriegstein.