Police seeking suspect who allegedly threw burning container at people in subway station

New York City police said Wednesday they are seeking a suspect who allegedly threw a lit container at people in a subway station last month.

The incident occurred on Feb. 5 around 7:40 p.m. at the West 28th Street subway station in Manhattan, according to the NYPD.

"[An] unidentified individual threw a lit container of flammable liquid at a group of people while they were standing on the southbound '1' train platform," the NYPD said. "The individual fled the location on foot to parts unknown."

No injuries were reported, police said.

The NYPD released footage of the suspect at the station showing him holding two cans that were aflame while standing at the station's turnstile.

Police described the individual as an approximately 35-year-old man with a dark complexion and brown eyes who is 6 feet tall and 156 pounds. He was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt underneath a black jacket, black pants and black sandals, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS-8477.

Earlier this month, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that New York National Guard troops and New York State Police troopers will be deployed into the subway system to target transit crime.

The new deployment is in addition to the 1,000 New York City police officers who were ordered to patrol subway lines and do security checks on bags in the nation's largest transit system last month following an attack on a conductor and other high-profile crimes.

Crimes on public transit were down 15.4% in February compared to a year ago, according to NYPD statistics, but that followed a startling 45.1% rise in January.