The 26-year-old woman who was set on fire by a fellow passenger on a Chicago train earlier this month has been identified by federal officials as Bethany MaGee.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy named MaGee in a social media post on Sunday, calling for stronger policing and highlighting the suspect’s prior criminal history.
MaGee was attacked on a Blue Line L train in downtown Chicago on Monday, Nov. 17, when she was doused in gasoline and set ablaze.
Lawrence Reed was arrested the following day and later charged in connection with the attack, which left MaGee with burns over more than half of her body, according to CBS Chicago.
Local outlets including CBS Chicago, ABC 7 Chicago and NBC 5 Chicago report that the 50-year-old suspect was under court-ordered electronic monitoring at the time of the alleged assault.
Reed was reportedly being monitored in connection with charges stemming from an alleged August attack on a social worker at a mental health facility, an incident that left the victim unconscious and in need of ongoing medical treatment, according to the outlets.
Those outlets also report that Reed has a long criminal history, including at least 10 felony charges and dozens of other arrests. “This is an absolute failure of our criminal justice and mental health institutions,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said last week, according to ABC 7.
A federal criminal complaint reviewed by authorities alleges that Reed filled a small bottle with gasoline at a gas station about 20 minutes before the attack. He then allegedly boarded the Blue Line train, approached MaGee from behind, doused her with gasoline and chased her to the back of the train car while trying to ignite the fuel.
According to the complaint, Reed ultimately succeeded in setting MaGee on fire and then repeatedly shouted “burn b—!” and “burn alive b—!” as the flames spread.
MaGee managed to escape the train car when it stopped at the Lake & Clark station in Chicago’s downtown Loop, where she collapsed on the platform as bystanders rushed to help her. The complaint states that she suffered “severe burns to her face and body.”
“The surveillance video is difficult to watch, and very disturbing, as a young woman was set ablaze, and tried to put herself out, while other passengers got out of the way or watched,” U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Andrew Boutros said, according to CBS.
Reed now faces federal terrorism charges in connection with the attack.
ABC 7 Chicago reported that at his first court appearance last Friday, Reed declined a public defender and asked to represent himself, attempting to plead guilty even though the hearing was only to formally present the charges. U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura McNally ordered that he remain in custody until his next hearing, saying he poses a danger to others, according to the outlet.
