A man has been arrested in New York in connection with the death of a woman who was set on fire on a subway train in Brooklyn.

A report by BBC News says the woman was approached by a man while on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station yesterday – the suspect allegedly used a lighter to ignite her clothing, which became “fully engulfed in a matter of seconds”.

Although officers extinguished the flames, the victim died at the scene.

The suspect was arrested at Herald Square station near the Empire State Building in Manhattan.

While he has not been publicly identified, he is said to have emigrated from Guatemala to the US in 2018.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the incident as “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being”.

Police are still working to establish a possible motive for the attack.

No charges have yet been filed.