View source for Damon Johnson Penn Station Arson (New York, 2026)

'''Damon Johnson Penn Station Arson (New York, 2026)''' documents the March 3, 2026 attack in which Damon Johnson, a parolee with '''131 prior arrests''' dating back to 1995, set a homeless man on fire as the victim slept at Penn Station in New York City.

== The Attack ==

On March 3, 2026, just before 9:00 p.m., two men and a woman approached a 37-year-old homeless man who was sleeping or lying in an old taxiway near Penn Station's rotunda area.<ref name="abc7">{{cite web|url=https://abc7ny.com/post/nypd-arrest-charge-2-suspects-man-set-fire-penn-station-nyc/18679675/|title=Police charge two suspects after man set on fire at Penn Station|publisher=ABC7 New York|date=March 5, 2026}}</ref>

Surveillance video captured '''Damon Johnson''', 47, of Brooklyn, crouching and leaning over the victim for some time before walking away. Police believe he set the victim's jacket on fire.<ref name="abc7"/>

A witness described the scene: "You look up above the escalator, there's a gentleman on fire, flames completely engulfed, he's running back and forth trying to get it out, people are trying to pat him down."<ref name="abc7"/>

Amtrak police rushed up an escalator to assist. The fire was put out by bystanders and first responders. The victim suffered '''second-degree burns''' to his arm and back and was hospitalized.<ref name="abc7"/>

Johnson was arrested in the immediate aftermath of the crime.<ref name="abc7"/>

== Johnson's Criminal History ==

Johnson has approximately '''131 prior arrests''' dating back to 1995 in the Bronx.<ref name="abc7"/><ref name="nydailynews">{{cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2026/03/04/parolee-131-arrests-arrested-setting-homeless-man-fire-penn-station-police/|title=Parolee with 131 prior busts arrested for setting homeless man on fire at Penn Station|publisher=New York Daily News|date=March 4, 2026}}</ref>

At the time of the attack, he was '''on parole''' for a 2018 robbery in which he slashed a student's face and took cash from his pockets. That victim required more than 100 stitches.<ref name="abc7"/>

== Charges ==

Johnson was charged with:<ref name="abc7"/>
* Attempted murder
* Assault
* Reckless endangerment

He pleaded not guilty and was held without bail.<ref name="abc7"/>

A second suspect, '''Lyla Najjar''', 33, of Queens, was arrested on March 5. She was charged with assault. Najjar has five prior arrests.<ref name="abc7"/>

== Significance ==

* 131 prior arrests over a 31-year period without permanent incapacitation
* On parole at the time for a violent robbery involving facial slashing
* Victim was a sleeping homeless man — among the most vulnerable targets
* The attack occurred at Penn Station, one of the busiest transit hubs in the United States
* Echoes the December 2024 case of Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, who set a sleeping woman on fire on the New York City subway

== References ==
<references/>

[[Category:Justice Watch]]