Ex-Con Charged for Setting Penn Station Homeless Man on Fire
Damon Johnson is currently in custody for allegedly setting a homeless man on fire in Penn Station. He pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail. A woman who was originally taken into custody as a suspected accomplice has so far not been charged.
| 06 Mar 2026 | 06:07
Screenshot from a public instagram account that showed the video of the homeless man being sest on fire inside the entrance to Penn Station on West 33rd Street (
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Two individuals were taken into custody on March 3 for attacking a homeless man inside Penn Station the previous evening and setting him on fire. One suspect was charged with attempted murder, a second suspect in custody has yet to be charged. (
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Police arrested two people for allegedly setting a homeless man on fire in Penn Station on the evening of March 2 although so far only one person has been charged in connection with the crime.
Damon Johnson, a 47 year-old parolee from Brooklyn with 131 prior busts, was charged with attempted murder, one count of assault and one count of attempted assault, prosecutors said. Lyla Najjar, a woman from Queens who was with Johnson was also taken into custody originally. So far, she has not been charged.
The 37 year old victim was asleep just inside doorway on the West 33rd St. entrance to Penn Station around 8:40 p.m.
Lyla Najjar, a woman from Queens who was with Johnson was also taken into custody originally. So far, she has not been charged.
“We declined to prosecute Lyla Najjar at this time pending further investigation,” a spokesperson for district attorney Alvin Bragg told Straus News.
Johnson was picked up by the NYPD on the morning of March 3 still in the vicinity of the crime scene.
A publicly posted Instagram video shows Johnson leaning over the man and then standing there for a minute before walking away. Moments later, the victim is seen flailing his arms with his jacket on fire.
Manhattan district attorney Cal Mullan said that Johnson was seen leaning over him for “some time,” according to the New York Post.
“Moments later, the victim begins wailing ... and scrambling to his feet with his jacket on fire,” the prosecutor said. “The fire was put out by bystanders and responding police officers.”
Johnson and Najjar disappeared downstairs into the main Amtrak station. The victim was rushed to NewYork-Presbyterian /Weill Cornell Medical Center, which has the only burn unit in New York City. He suffered second-degree burns on his arm and back, but his injuries were said to be non-life-threatening.
Johnson was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on the night of March 3 and pleaded not guilty, according to prosecutors. He was originally taken into custody by the NYPD Midtown South Precinct on the morning of March 2 when he was seen in the vicinity of the crime scene while still wearing the same jacket and clothing as seen on the video from the previous day. He was then transported to the AMTRAK holding cells inside Penn Station.
Johnson was back in court March 6th but remanded into custody on Rikers Island with no bail. Robert Bickel his Legal Aid attorney was could not be reached by press time.
Johnson is due back in court on March 26.