A 20-year-old woman is in hospital with critical injuries after being set on fire on a Toronto bus in what police say was a “random” attack.
A 35-year-old man is now under arrest.
The woman remains in hospital with life-threatening injuries, most of which are second- and third-degree burns, the Toronto police media relations officer said. Alex Li told reporters outside Kipling Station, where the incident took place.
“It’s a cause for concern, especially since we’ve said it’s a random attack,” Li said.
Toronto police were called to the Kipling Avenue and Dundas Street West area around 12:30 p.m. to report an assaulted woman. Police say a man spilled a liquid substance on the woman and set her on fire, causing a fire.
The woman was rushed to Sunnybrook Hospital. There is no word on his current condition.
It is unknown at this time what caused the attack, but he said there was some kind of interaction between the man and the woman before it happened. Police are continuing to investigate.
Chain of recent attacks on Toronto subway stations
Friday’s incident comes after at least two other notable attacks on Toronto subway stations. In April, international student Kartik Vasudev was shot dead in front of Sherbourne Underground Station. That same month, a 39-year-old man escaped being hit by a train after being pushed onto the tracks from a subway platform at Bloor-Yonge subway station.
Then, late last month, a man was robbed and beaten outside Dundas subway station. Christian Garcia told CBC News he wanted to see more security and staff at TTC stops.
Rick Leary, executive director of the Toronto Traffic Commission, says the agency is “surprised by today’s attack.”
“Our thoughts are with the victim for a full recovery,” Leary said in a statement. “I know incidents like this are worrisome for our customers, and I share that concern.”
Leary went on to say that the TTC moves “centers of millions of customers every year without incident, but we can’t and don’t take it for granted.”
The TTC has a number of security measures in place, including special agents patrolling the system, cameras and emergency alarms at all stations and vehicles, as well as the SafeTTC app to report suspicious incidents, Leary said.
The agency is also hiring new special agents and modernizing stations to add more cameras and have more visible staff to deter crime.
The union representing Toronto traffic workers also issued a statement saying it was “horrified” by the incident and thanked traffic staff and travelers who rushed to help the woman.
Subway service was suspended from Kipling at Islington stations on Friday afternoon for investigation.