Bethany MaGee identified as woman set on fire on Chicago train
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Transport Minister Sean Duffy stated that the woman set on fire on the Chicago train was 26-year-old Bethany MaGee, who suffered serious burns in the attack.
Duffy criticized the city’s lax crime policies, saying the attack, allegedly carried out by a career criminal with 72 previous arrests, should never have happened.
Duffy said of “This would never have happened if this thug was behind bars. But Chicago allows repeat offenders to roam the streets.
“Chicago’s carelessness puts the American people at risk,” he continued. “No one needs to fear for their life on the subway.”
POLICE SAY CHICAGO WOMAN SET FIRE DURING AN ARGUMENT ON CTA TRAIN
Bethany MaGee, who was seriously injured in the attack on the Chicago L train on November 17, 2025, holds a cat in an undated photo. (Bethany MaGee via Facebook)
The alleged attacker, Marcus Reed, 50, had navigated the criminal justice system for decades and was free on bail at the time of the attack, authorities said. According to the criminal complaint, Reed is accused of committing a terrorist attack or violence against the public transportation system.
Federal prosecutors allege Reed intentionally used gasoline and a lighter to set MaGee on fire on a CTA Blue Line train around 9:30 p.m. Monday.
Andrew Boutros, US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said the woman was “minding her own business and reading her phone” while she was sitting in the middle of the train car when Reed approached her from behind, doused her head and body with gasoline and tried to ignite the liquid.
The woman ran to the back of the car while he ignited the rest of the liquid in the bottle and then used it to set it on fire, according to the complaint.
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According to authorities, Lawrence Reed, 50, is accused of terrorist attack or violence against the public transportation system. (Chicago Police Department)
In the video, it was claimed that Reed watched the woman engulfed in flames by rolling on the ground and trying to extinguish the fire.
Boutros said that the woman rolled on the ground and tried desperately to extinguish the fire, but no one came to her aid.
When the train stopped at Clark and Lake, the complaint said the still-burning victim managed to climb out before falling onto the platform.
“When he finally stumbled, two Samaritans came and put out the fire that consumed him,” Boutros said.
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Lawrence Reed is pictured in the courtroom sketch of his detention hearing on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (LD Chukman)
According to the authorities, the condition of the woman, who suffered serious burns on her face and body, was stated to be critical.
Prosecutors obtained photographs showing Reed entering the store at a gas station about 20 minutes before the attack, paying the cashier and filling a small container with gasoline.
Other footage shows Reed approaching the victim inside the train with a lit bottle in his hand.
Allegedly, Reed set the woman on fire and then got off the train and walked away.
22 PERSONS RELATED TO THE TRAIN FIRE ATTACK IN CHICAGO WERE ALREADY ARRESTED, BUT RELEASED BY THE JUDGE: REPORT
At Reed’s first appearance in federal court on Wednesday, he allegedly shouted, “I plead guilty, I plead guilty, I plead guilty.”
U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura McNally asked him if he knew the maximum sentence was life in prison, and he replied: “Great, very nice, very nice.”
Following the hearing, ATF Special Agent in Charge Chris Amon commented on Reed’s violent criminal history and pending cases, adding that he “has no business being on the streets.”
“Reed had a lot of second chances with the criminal justice system, and as a result, you’re left with an innocent victim in the hospital fighting for his life,” Amon said. “Due to the swift action of CPD, ATF, and our law enforcement partners, Mr. Reed will have no choice.”
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McNally recommended a mental and medical evaluation, but Boutros noted that Reed had not been declared mentally incompetent in connection with any of the previous charges.
Reed navigated the criminal justice system for 32 years, starting at the age of 18, Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Bond said Friday. He was arrested 72 times and convicted of eight felonies and seven misdemeanors.
Records show Reed has a lengthy criminal history, including a charge of aggravated arson from April 2020 for allegedly setting a fire at the Thompson Center, where Gov. J.B. Pritzker was holding a daily COVID-19 briefing.
Halsted also faces misdemeanor battery charges after randomly punching multiple women in the face and slapping a 42-year-old man in the face on the CTA Blue Line platform, FOX 32 Chicago reported.
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In August, Reed was charged with aggravated battery for allegedly attacking a woman at a psychiatric hospital, CWB Chicago reported. Despite prosecutors’ request for detention, he was released with an ankle monitor.
Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
