Woman set ablaze on Chicago transit train is identified

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy publicly identified the woman set on fire on a Chicago CTA train as 26-year-old Bethany MaGee, blaming what he called Chicago’s lenient handling of repeat offenders for the attack.

The suspect, 50-year-old Lawrence Reed, has a long history of mental illness and 72 prior arrests and had repeatedly violated electronic monitoring after being released over prosecutors’ objections.

Mayor Brandon Johnson declined to confirm the victim’s identity and called the Nov. 17 assault a failure of both the criminal justice system and mental-health institutions.

Federal prosecutors have charged Reed with committing a terrorist attack on a mass transportation system, and he displayed erratic behavior in court, prompting a mental evaluation, NBC News has reported.

Security footage and a federal complaint describe Reed dousing MaGee with liquid and setting her on fire as she tried to escape, leaving her severely injured and hospitalized.