Man sets fire to a woman on a Chicago L train before fleeing, police say

CHICAGO — A man doused a woman with fluid and set her on fire on a Chicago L train, leaving her in critical condition, authorities said Tuesday.

The attack happened Monday night on a Blue Line train, police said. Witnesses told investigators that the 26-year-old woman and a man believed to be in his 40s began arguing, and that the man then doused her with a liquid and set her alight.

When the train pulled into the Clark and Lake stop, the man fled and the woman stumbled out and fell on the ground, police said, noting that she was taken to a hospital in critical condition, authorities said. The hospital later declined to discuss her condition.

A person of interest in the attack was taken in custody, police said later Tuesday. They didn't say if the man and woman knew each other.

Like many other major cities, Chicago has seen a drop in violent crime after a pandemic-era spike. Urban crime has been a hot topic of late following President Donald Trump's characterization of several Democratic-led cities, including Chicago, as crime-ridden wastelands in need of federal intervention. Local officials have pushed back against that narrative.