NYC subway rider set on fire after a man poured flaming liquid on him

The New York Post reported that a man who suffered severe burns after another man threw flaming liquid on him on the subway Saturday jumped in front of his fiancée to keep her from injuries.

The report noted that Petrit Alijaj, 23, was almost fully covered in bandages while giving a comment about the incident from a hospital. The victim was still in shock from what appeared to be a random attack.

'While I was running I was burning.'

Physicians said Alijaj has burns on roughly 30% of his body, and that he is expected to remain in the hospital for at least another week or two. But the victim said it was worth it to protect his soon-to-be wife, saying, "I protect my fiancée with my body."

While he said he was not experiencing much pain during the interview, he suggested the pain was severe when the incident first happened.

A second report noted that the flaming liquid was tossed on Alijaj and soon caught fire after the substance made contact with his shirt.

The suspect tried to flee immediately after the incident, but he was eventually caught by law enforcement. As a result, transit trains were delayed following the incident.

One X post read: "Southbound 1 trains are running with delays after NYPD responded to a report of a person being disruptive on a train at Houston St."

Alijaj got on the train with his fiancée and his cousin en route to see the Statue of Liberty. The perpetrator, later identified as Nile Taylor, 49, stepped onto the train with a cup full of liquid.

“He had a cup,” Alijaj said. He pointed to a cup on his bedside table, "like this, maybe smaller, something inside, like oil, he made fire and he threw it all."

Alijaj's shirt quickly caught fire and he started slapping the fire with his hands. "I touched myself to put out the fire," he said.

"So while I was running I was burning," he added.

The victim was concerned that Taylor stepped off the train to retrieve more liquid. At some point during the incident, Alijaj managed to rip off his shirt to put the flames out.

Alijaj did not think the burns were that bad until blisters developed by the time he arrived at the hospital.

It is still unclear how severe the burns are.

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