Man who set homeless person on fire in NYC sentenced for ‘horrific’ crime (opens original article in a new tab)

A 19-year-old man was sentenced to over five years in prison for setting a homeless man on fire on a New York City subway train in December 2025. The victim suffered severe burns and permanent disfigurement. Carrero's sentence exceeded the standard minimum for arson, and he was also ordered to pay restitution and serve three years of supervised release. This incident is part of a pattern of similar crimes on public transit in New York and other cities.

• Hiram Carrero, 19, sentenced to 5.5 years in prison for setting a homeless man on fire on NYC subway in December 2025
• Carrero admitted to intentionally lighting a paper that caused severe burns to the victim who was sleeping
• Court heard Carrero had a troubled past including being born prematurely with drugs in his system and abandoned by parents
• This is not the first subway fire incident in NYC, with similar cases reported in 2024 and 2025 in other cities