Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Molis told the court the victim “very well could have died,” noting that the man sustained severe burns over much of his body. If convicted, Carrero faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison.
Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger initially ordered Carrero released to home confinement under his mother’s supervision, with electronic monitoring, a mental-health evaluation and drug testing. Prosecutors appealed, and Judge Caproni reversed that decision at an after-hours hearing, citing “the heinousness of the crime” and ordering detention pending trial. “It’s hard for me to understand why an 18-year-old high-school student is out at three o’clock in the morning setting people on fire,” Caproni said from the bench.
Carrero, who did not enter a plea, lives with his disabled mother in Harlem and acts as her primary caregiver, defense attorney Jennifer Brown told the court. Brown argued that her client has no prior criminal record and could safely await trial at home. She also referenced media reports suggesting investigators had explored the possibility that the victim may have accidentally set himself on fire, although no evidence supporting that theory has been disclosed in court documents.
The investigation was led by the New York Arson and Explosives Task Force, a partnership among the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the New York Police Department and the city’s Fire Department. Because the case involves alleged arson on mass transit, federal authorities assumed jurisdiction rather than state prosecutors. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 4, but it will be canceled if a grand jury returns an indictment before that date.
Detectives identified Carrero by matching images from subway cameras to body-worn footage recorded in October, when police issued him a summons for riding a bicycle through a red light while making food deliveries. Investigators pointed to a distinctive mustache, a cap with white lettering, a gray hooded sweatshirt and a particular backpack seen in both sets of images.
After leaving Penn Station on Monday, Carrero allegedly boarded a city bus and returned home, the complaint states. He was taken into custody three days later without incident.
The attack is the latest in a series of fires set against passengers on public transportation nationwide. Last month, federal prosecutors in Chicago charged a man with pouring gasoline on a woman inside a railcar and setting her ablaze. In December 2024, a woman sleeping on a stationary subway train in Brooklyn died after a stranger ignited her clothing. Transit officials and law-enforcement agencies have not indicated whether any of the incidents are connected.
Carrero’s detention marks the second time in recent weeks that a federal judge has opted to hold an arson suspect despite recommendations for supervised release. Prosecutors argue that severe burn cases on mass transit present particular public-safety concerns, as flames can spread quickly in crowded, enclosed environments.
Under federal law, arson on transportation systems is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, with a minimum sentence if serious injury results. The statute applies to railroads, aircraft and other vehicles used in interstate commerce, a category that includes the New York City subway.
Court records show no additional charges against Carrero, and authorities have not disclosed a possible motive. Defense counsel indicated that mental-health evaluations and substance-abuse testing would be appropriate should her client eventually be released.
For now, Carrero remains at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn pending grand-jury action. If indicted, he will be required to enter a plea at a future arraignment, and the court will revisit bail conditions at that time.
Crédito da imagem: Associated Press
