A man on parole, known for his extensive criminal past with 131 arrests in New York City, was apprehended on Wednesday for the brutal act of setting a homeless individual on fire while he slept at Penn Station, law enforcement and prosecutors revealed.
The suspect, Damon Johnson, aged 47, faces charges of attempted murder and assault following Monday’s incident, which resulted in a 37-year-old man suffering from second-degree burns on his arm and back.
The attack occurred as the victim was sleeping near the entrance to Penn Station’s Amtrak rotunda on W. 33rd St., close to Eighth Ave. Around 8:30 p.m., three men approached him, and one ignited his clothing, according to police reports.
Emergency responders swiftly extinguished the fire and transported the injured man to the burn care unit at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell.
Following the assault, the trio disappeared further into the station. However, Amtrak Police Department officers managed to detain Johnson on Wednesday.
Johnson is on parole for a robbery offense, a status that will last until 2027. His criminal history is extensive, with his first arrest dating back to a Bronx assault in 1995, as stated by police authorities.
His most recent bust prior to Wednesday’s arrest was for an assault in the Bronx on Sept. 9, 2024, in which he punched and slapped a 56-year-old woman in the face during an argument on E. Tremont Ave. and Grand Concourse in Morris Heights.
The arson at Penn Station comes as Mayor Mamdani’s Department of Homeless Services faces increased scrutiny after at least 19 New Yorkers died on the streets amid a recent cold snap, 15 of whom succumbed to hypothermia. The majority of those who died had some contact with Homeless Services over the course of their lives, according to the city.
