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New York Governor Kathy Hochul was heavily attacked on social media Sunday after she said how safe New York’s subway system has become thanks to her efforts — just hours after a woman was set on fire and burned to death on a train.
In an X post on Sunday, Hochul claimed that crime has decreased on Big Apple trains since she deployed the National Guard in March. Last week, Hochul sent 750 members of the National Guard to subways in an effort to curb holiday crime.
“In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who ride the trains every day,” Hochul’s post read. “Since deploying the @NationalGuardNY to support @NYPDnews and @MTA security efforts and adding cameras to all subway cars, crime is down and ridership is up.”
Hochul’s post appeared about eight hours after a Guatemalan migrant allegedly set a woman on fire and watched her burn to death on the F train in Brooklyn. The horrific crime was widely reported by the time the governor’s tweet surfaced.
Kathy Hochul was widely criticized after praising her efforts to make the New York City subway safe, just hours after a migrant allegedly set a woman on fire. (Getty Images / NYPD)
The incident happened at the Stillwell Avenue station around 7:30 a.m., according to the New York Police Department (NYPD).
Several social media users responded to Hochul’s tweet with graphic footage of the burning. The tweet was briefly accompanied by an X note from the community that mentioned the murder.
Melissa DeRosa, who served as secretary under former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, called the governor’s office and mentioned that another person had been killed.
“Two people were killed on the subway today,” DeRosa wrote. “The governor of NY is a tourist who can’t be bothered to read the paper while she’s in town.”
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Police said the man threw a lighter at the woman, and she was engulfed in flames within seconds. (NYPD)
An anti-Semitic advocacy group called out the governor’s communications staff, writing that Hochul “should[s] new social media team.”
Lori Mills, vice chairwoman of the Ventura County Republican Party, also responded to the ill-timed tweet.
“You must have missed today’s news,” Mills said bluntly to Hochul.
Sources identified the person of interest to Fox News Digital as 33-year-old Sebastino Zapeta, saying he entered the U.S. from Guatemala about a year ago, but it was unclear whether he did so legally or illegally.
Fox News Digital has reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for more information about Zapeta.
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NYPD and National Guard members conduct random bag searches on the New York City subway on Monday, March 11, 2024. (Matthew McDermott for Fox News Digital)
Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul’s office for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
