A woman died after being set on fire on a subway train

A New York suspect has been arrested in the death of a woman who was set on fire on a Brooklyn subway train.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described Sunday's incident as “one of the most depraved crimes that one person can commit against another human being.”

She said the woman was on a stationary F train bound for Brooklyn when she was approached by a man who used a lighter to set her clothes on fire.

The victim died at the scene, she said, adding that the suspect was taken into custody after being detained on another subway train.

Police said the woman, who has not been named, was in a subway car at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn around 07:30 local time (12:30 GMT) when a man approached her.

There was no interaction prior to the attack, police said, adding that they do not believe the two men knew each other.

The man got off the train as officers on patrol at the station rushed to the fire.

“Officers were patrolling the upper level of this station, smelled and saw smoke and went to investigate,” Ms Tisch said.

“What they saw was a man standing in the carriage completely engulfed in flames.”

Police are still working to identify the victim and the motive for the attack.

“Unbeknownst to the responding officers, the suspect remained on the scene and sat on a bench on the platform directly in front of the carriage,” Ms Tisch added.

She explained that responding officers were able to get a “very clear, detailed” view of the man and the images were released by the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Three high-school-age New Yorkers later called 911 to report they recognized the suspect on another train, Ms. Tisch told reporters.

The man was then found and arrested after officers boarded the train and walked through the subway cars.

Joseph Gulotta of the NYPD said detectives are still trying to determine if the victim was asleep when she was set on fire.

“She's definitely there, she's still,” Mr Gulotta added.

“To say whether she's asleep or not, we're not 100% sure, but it looks like she's motionless in that spot.”

“There's no interaction between the two of them. And when the accident happens, there's no interaction between them.”