New York Governor Kathy Hochul was criticized on social media on Sunday after she touted how safe the New York City subway system had become thanks to her efforts – just hours after a woman was set on fire and burned on a train.
In an X post on Sunday, Hochul claimed that crime on the Big Apple’s trains has declined since she deployed the National Guard in March. Last week, Hochul sent 750 National Guard members into the subway 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 reads. “Since deploying the @NationalGuardNY to support @NYPDnews and @MTA security efforts and installing cameras on all subway cars, crime has decreased and ridership has increased.”
Hochul’s post came about eight hours after a migrant from Guatemala allegedly set a woman on fire and watched her burn on an F train in Brooklyn. By the time the governor’s tweet appeared, the horrific crime had already been widely reported.
Kathy Hochul was widely criticized after praising her efforts to ensure the safety of the New York subway just hours after a migrant allegedly set a woman on fire. (Getty Images/NYPD)
According to the New York City Police Department (NYPD), the incident occurred around 7:30 a.m. at the Stillwell Avenue station.
Several social media users responded to Hochul’s tweet with graphic footage of the self-immolation. The tweet was also briefly accompanied by an X-Community note that referenced the murder.
Melissa DeRosa, who served as secretary under former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, declined the acting governor’s post and mentioned that another person had been murdered.
“Two people were murdered on the subway today,” DeRosa wrote. “The governor of New York State is a tourist who doesn’t even bother to read a newspaper while she’s in town.”
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Police said the man threw a lighter at the woman and within seconds she burst into flames. (NYPD)
The advocacy group AntiSemitism called out the governor’s communications staff, writing that Hochul “needs a new social media team.”
Lori Mills, vice chair 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 Sebastin Zapeta and said he entered the United States from Guatemala about a year ago, but whether he did so legally or illegally was unclear.
Fox News Digital has asked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for more information about Zapeta.
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Members of the NYPD and National Guard conduct random bag searches in the New York City subway system on Monday, March 11, 2024. (Matthew McDermott for Fox News Digital)
Fox News Digital contacted Hochul’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
