Man arrested for shooting people in 2 incidents in New York: NYPD

MANHATTAN, N.Y. (WPIX) — A man is accused of lighting a container on fire and throwing it at people in two separate incidents in New York.

Nile Taylor, 49, was arrested Saturday after police say he threw a flammable substance at a 23-year-old man who was riding the subway around 2:47 p.m.

Sources told Nexstar's WPIX that Taylor tried to escape after Saturday's incident, but was arrested by police after allegedly stealing a cell phone that was tracked using the Find app My iPhone.

Police said Taylor was also responsible for the Feb. 5 attack, in which he allegedly threw a flaming liquid at people at a subway station.

According to police, Taylor was charged with the following counts in connection with both incidents: attempted assault, reckless endangerment, arson, assault, theft, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of stolen goods.

Although violent crime is rare in the city's subway system, which serves about 3 million passengers a day, some high-profile attacks this year have left some riders on edge. Among them were the death of a man who was pushed onto the railroad tracks in East Harlem in March and a few shootings.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced in March that hundreds of National Guard members would be heading to the metro to beef up security. Municipal police said 800 additional officers would be deployed in the metro to combat fare evasion.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.