Chicago person of interest in train fire attack has 22 prior arrests, was freed by judge: report
26-year-old woman remains hospitalized in critical condition with severe burns after Monday's attack
By Stephen Sorace Fox News
Published November 19, 2025 12:44pm EST
A 50-year-old man being questioned in Monday’s Chicago train attack — where a woman was set on fire — has a long arrest record and was previously freed by a judge after allegedly assaulting a social worker, according to a report.
The person of interest has 22 prior arrests since 2016 and 53 criminal cases in Cook County dating back to 1993, including nine felonies that led to guilty pleas — though only two resulted in jail time, CWB Chicago reported.
In August, he was charged with aggravated battery after allegedly knocking a female social worker unconscious at a psychiatric hospital, according to the outlet.
Despite prosecutors' request to keep him detained, a judge released him with electronic monitoring, the outlet reported, citing court documents. He was only permitted to leave his home from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/chicago-person-interest-train-fire-attack-22-prior-arrests-freed-judge-report