Sean Duffy blames Chicago for ‘carelessness’ after identifying 26-year-old train attack victim

WASHINGTON, DC: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Sunday, November 23, publicly identified the woman set on fire aboard a Chicago train as 26-year-old Bethany MaGee, sharply criticizing the city for what he called its “carelessness.”

The attack has raised urgent concerns over repeat offenders roaming free in public spaces.

Chicago train fire attack leaves Bethany MaGee in critical condition

On Monday, November 17, a man allegedly approached MaGee from behind on a Chicago L-train and doused her head and body with gasoline before igniting the liquid.

According to the criminal complaint, she had been “minding her own business and reading her phone” in the middle of the train car.

After being soaked in the flammable liquid, MaGee ran to the back of the car as the attacker lit the remaining contents and used the fire to set her ablaze. She suffered severe burns to her face and body and remains in critical condition, according to authorities. Video apparently captures Lawrence Reed watching her roll on the floor as she tried to extinguish the flames.

When the train came to a stop at Clark and Lake, she managed to exit while still on fire, collapsing on the platform.

Two good Samaritans then intervened, putting out the blaze before she was rushed to the hospital.

Investigators also presented images showing the attacker, Reed, filling a small container with gasoline roughly 20 minutes before the assault, and later holding a flaming bottle on the train as he approached MaGee. 

Lawrence Reed's criminal history

Duffy did not mince words in his reaction on X. He pointed to Reed’s 72 prior arrests, calling him a “career criminal” and lamenting that “this would never have happened if this thug had been behind bars.”

He warned that "Chicago’s carelessness is putting the American people at risk. No one should ever have to fear for their lives on the subway."

Reed has been federally charged with committing a “terrorist attack or violence against a mass transportation system” related to the incident. In his first federal court appearance, he reportedly shouted, “I plead guilty, I plead guilty, I plead guilty.”

Magistrate Judge Laura McNally reminded him that the maximum sentence could be life in prison; he responded, “It’s cool, it’s cool, it’s cool.”

Meanwhile, ATF Special Agent in Charge Chris Amon condemned Reed’s violent criminal history, saying he “had plenty of second chances from the criminal justice system, and as a result, you have an innocent victim in the hospital fighting for her life.”

Prosecutors noted that over 32 years, Reed has amassed eight felony convictions and seven misdemeanors, including a 2020 aggravated arson charge tied to a fire at Chicago’s Thompson Center.

He also faced battery charges for allegedly punching several women and slapping a man at a CTA Blue Line platform, and in August he was released on an ankle monitor despite an aggravated battery charge.