In an exclusive video obtained by Eyewitness News, Petrit Alijaj can be seen receiving assistance from first responders after a horrifying attack on a Manhattan subway train. Alijaj, accompanied by his fiancée and cousins, found himself targeted by a stranger who doused him with a flammable substance.
The incident occurred on a southbound No. 1 train as it approached the Houston Street station around 2:45 p.m. on Saturday. Alijaj recalls the perpetrator giving him a strange look before igniting the substance and fleeing the train, leaving him in excruciating pain.
Despite sustaining burns across his body, Alijaj managed to shield his loved ones from the fiery assault. Traumatized by the ordeal, he likened it to scenes from a movie, expressing shock at the sudden and senseless attack.
Authorities swiftly apprehended the suspect, 49-year-old Nile Taylor, charging him with assault, arson, reckless engagement, petty larceny, and criminal possession of a weapon. Additionally, Taylor faces a separate charge of criminal possession of stolen property for an unrelated incident involving a dropped phone on the train platform.
Despite Taylor’s arrest, Alijaj remains unsettled, expressing skepticism about the efficacy of the justice system in providing lasting security.