Overview
- Surveillance footage and court papers show Hiram Carrero boarded the No. 3 train at 34th Street–Penn Station just after 3 a.m. on Dec. 1, 2025, lit a piece of paper and placed it on a sleeping man as the train departed.
- Carrero pleaded guilty in March to a federal arson charge and admitted he intentionally ignited the paper that burned the victim.
- On Tuesday, June 23, 2026, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman sentenced Carrero to 66 months in prison, ordered three years of supervised release and required restitution.
- Prosecutors argued Carrero tried to kill a sleeping, homeless man and described the victim’s injuries as critical with permanent scarring, while first responders and hospital staff were credited with saving his life.
- Defense lawyers sought leniency, citing Carrero’s traumatic early life and claimed neurodevelopmental impairments and remorse, and the case has drawn attention to federal efforts to punish violent attacks on public transit.