Subway nightmare in New York: Teen gets 5½ years for setting man ablaze

Hiram Carrero, a 19-year-old New York City high school senior, received a 5½-year federal prison sentence for setting a sleeping homeless man on fire on a Manhattan subway train.

Carrero pleaded guilty to arson in March, admitting he intentionally ignited a piece of paper that severely burned the 56-year-old victim in December.

U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman imposed a sentence exceeding the mandatory minimum, emphasizing the attack's severity and the victim's critical injuries, permanent scarring, and disfigurement.

Prosecutors highlighted the incident as a horrifying assault on a vulnerable individual, stating the victim's survival was largely due to a timely emergency response.

Carrero's defense cited his difficult background, including premature birth and abandonment, while investigators identified him through surveillance and police body-camera footage.