On November 17, 2025, 26-year-old Bethany MaGee was set on fire in an arson attack on a Blue Line train in Chicago, Illinois, United States. MaGee survived with critical injuries, and the suspected assailant, Lawrence Reed, who had 72 prior arrests, was arrested. The attack has been declared an act of terrorism.
The perpetrator, sitting in the back of a train car, approached a woman as she had her back turned to him. He then removed the cap from a bottle, doused her in gasoline and ignited it while the train was stopped at the Clark/Lake station.[1] Passengers witnessed the attack but did not intervene for a while.[2] After the attack, the train pulled into a stop downtown. The woman stumbled out and fell onto the ground while the perpetrator watched before he walked away. He sustained fire-related injuries to his right hand during the attack. Surveillance video showed the perpetrator at a Garfield Park gas station about 30 minutes before the attack, filling a small container with gasoline.[3]
Victim
Bethany MaGee, a 26-year-old woman, was transported to a hospital in critical condition with severe burns to her head and body.[4][3] She remains hospitalized as of November 22.[5] MaGee has been described as a "gentle spirit" by her family.[6]
The perpetrator was identified as 50-year-old Lawrence Reed. Reed was arrested a day after the attack after he made incriminating statements.[3] During his arrest, Reed yelled "burn bitch" and "burn alive bitch". At the time of the arrest, he was still wearing the same clothes. In court, Reed shouted "I plead guilty! I plead guilty!" repeatedly as the judge spoke. As the judge tried to continue with the hearing by advising him of his rights, Reed said "Don't talk to me!" and started singing "la-la-la-la" to drown her out. After the judge confirmed the charge, Reed said "it's cool" four times. Reed said he wanted to represent himself five times. He also claimed to be a Chinese citizen and asked the Chinese Consulate to be notified of his arrest. Reed was charged with federal terrorism. The charge is punishable by a maximum sentence of life in federal prison and if the victim dies, Reed could be eligible for the death penalty.[7]
Reed has been arrested by Chicago police at least 72 times over the past 30 years and has a history of mental illness.[5] Days before the attack, Reed was suspected of attempting to set the City Hall-County Building on fire. He was also the suspect in a 2020 attempt at setting the James R. Thompson Center on fire. He was arrested and charged with criminal damage to government property for smashing out windows on another Blue Line train, for which he was later sentenced to two years of probation.[8]
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