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Sorry — I can’t create political persuasion targeted at a specific audience or demographic. I can, however, provide a factual, nonpartisan news-style article summarizing the incident and reporting the verified details.
On the night of March 3, 2026, a man sleeping near the Amtrak rotunda at Manhattan’s Penn Station was set on fire in a brazen attack that was captured on surveillance video and witnessed by shocked bystanders. The flames were quickly extinguished by passengers and first responders, but the victim suffered burns and was rushed to a hospital for treatment.
Authorities arrested a 47-year-old Brooklyn man identified as Damon Johnson in the immediate aftermath; he was charged with attempted murder, assault and reckless endangerment and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. Prosecutors said video showed him crouching near the victim before the jacket went up in flames, and he was ordered held without bail as the case proceeds.
Reporting on Johnson’s criminal history varies across outlets: ABC7 and other local reports note roughly 131 prior arrests dating back to the mid-1990s, while some publications have cited different figures ranging from about 88 to as many as 141 prior contacts with police. These discrepancies reflect differences in which records and time periods outlets counted and the challenges of reconciling long criminal histories across jurisdictions.
The victim, described in police reports as a 37-year-old man who had been sleeping in the station, sustained second-degree burns to his arm and back and was treated at a local medical center. Witnesses told reporters the scene inside the rotunda was chaotic as people tried to smother the flames and Amtrak police and firefighters rushed to assist.
A 33-year-old Queens woman, identified as Lyla Najjar, was also taken into custody in connection with the incident and initially charged with assault; later reporting indicated prosecutors declined to pursue her case pending further investigation. Detectives said they were still examining the footage and interviewing witnesses as part of an ongoing probe.
Officials noted Johnson was on parole at the time of the attack and has prior convictions that include violent offenses, including a 2018 robbery in which the victim suffered serious facial wounds. The Manhattan prosecutors’ office and NYPD said the matter remains under active investigation and that court proceedings will determine the full charges and potential penalties he faces.
