Chicago subway fire victim named, suspect remains in custody

U.S. authorities have identified a 26-year-old woman who was doused in fluid and set on fire on a Chicago subway train last week.

In a statement on X, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy identified the victim as Bethany MaGee and criticized Chicago’s handling of violent crime, referring to the suspect, who police identified last week as 50-year-old Lawrence Reed, and his extensive criminal history.

“It is devastating that a career criminal with 72 PRIOR ARRESTS is now accused of attacking 26-year-old Bethany MaGee on Chicago’s L train, and setting her on fire,” Duffy wrote.

Chicago police records contradict Duffy’s claim that the suspect had been arrested on 72 occasions before the alleged attack. According to department records, he had been arrested in the state 12 times before the subway incident, for charges ranging from bodily harm to driving under the influence. (It’s unclear if Reed has an arrest record in other states.)

Global News has reached out to the Chicago Police Department for clarification on the number.

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In August, Reed was arrested for attacking a social worker at MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, Ill, where he was a psychiatric patient, ABC7 reported.

“This would never have happened if this thug had been behind bars,” Duffy continued. “Yet Chicago lets repeat offenders roam the streets. Chicago’s carelessness is putting the American people at risk. No one should ever have to fear for their life on the subway.”

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Reed was arrested the day after the incident and is facing a federal terrorism charge for the alleged attack on MaGee, which took place at around 9:25 p.m. on Nov. 17 on the Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line.

MaGee suffered burns across half her body, according to CBS Chicago.

Court records obtained by the U.S. outlet from Cook County’s adult probation department allege that Reed violated the terms of his curfew multiple times in the days leading up to the attack, including on the day of the incident, and that he was under court-ordered electronic monitoring.

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Security images from the attack showed the moment the suspect doused MaGee, who was sitting alone with her back to Reed, in liquid and physically assaulted her before chasing her to the back of the carriage and setting her on fire with a lighted water bottle.

After the alleged attack, authorities say the suspect watched as the victim was engulfed in flames, and that the victim attempted to extinguish the blaze by rolling around on the floor of the train.

The train stopped at the Clark and Lake Street Blue Line station while the victim was still on fire, but she was able to exit before collapsing on the platform. Two Good Samaritans helped to extinguish the flames, U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros said in a press conference on Wednesday. At the same time, the suspect exited and walked away, according to the charge documents.

In a press conference on Friday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson told reporters the incident was “an absolute failure of our criminal justice as well as our mental health institutions.”

MaGee is being treated in hospital for severe burns. U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura McNally ordered Reed to remain in custody, saying he poses a danger to the public, according to the outlet.