Overview
- U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni ordered Hiram Carrero detained after prosecutors appealed a magistrate’s decision to release him to home confinement.
- Carrero, 18, is charged with arson resulting in injury for allegedly lighting a piece of paper and placing it beside a sleeping 56-year-old on a northbound 3 train at 34th Street–Penn Station.
- The victim reached Times Square with his legs and torso on fire before officers extinguished the flames; he remains hospitalized with severe burns.
- Investigators with the ATF arson task force and NYPD identified Carrero by matching subway surveillance to October body-camera footage, noting a distinctive mustache and matching clothing and backpack.
- A preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 4 unless prosecutors secure an indictment beforehand, and the statutory sentencing range is seven to 40 years if convicted.