Crime & Law
Woman Set on Fire Onboard Blue Line Train Released From Hospital Months After Arson Attack
Bethany MaGee is pictured. (Courtesy of the MaGee Family)
Bethany MaGee, the woman who was doused with gasoline and lit on fire onboard a CTA Blue Line train, has been released from the hospital months after the brazen arson attack.
In her first public comments since the attack, MaGee announced that she was released from Stroger Hospital on Thursday, which she called an “important step in my recovery.”
“My family and I are grateful to be able to celebrate this milestone, and we want to sincerely thank everyone who has offered support, kindness, and encouragement during this time,” she said.
Lawrence Reed, 50, was charged with committing a terrorist attack on a mass transportation system following the Nov. 17 attack. The charge carries with it a possible life sentence.
According to the criminal complaint, Reed was captured on surveillance footage sitting at the far back of a train car, several feet away from MaGee as they both rode the Blue Line just before 9:30 p.m.
MaGee was sitting with her back to Reed when he allegedly approached her at random, took the cap off of a bottle he was holding and poured a liquid all over her head and body before attempting to ignite the substance.
MaGee attempted to fight off Reed and ran to the front of the train, the complaint states, as Reed lit the bottle in his hand on fire and used it to set her ablaze.
According to the complaint, surveillance footage showed MaGee “engulfed in flames,” which she attempted to extinguish by rolling on the ground. When the train stopped at Clark and Lake, she was able to exit before collapsing on the platform as Reed allegedly walked away from the scene.
MaGee was rushed to the hospital where she recovered from her critical injuries. An online fundraiser collecting money to help cover her hospital costs has raised more than $500,000.
In her statement, she thanked Stroger’s burn team for their “exceptional care, compassion, and expertise, as well as for the support they showed my family throughout my hospitalization.”
“I kindly ask for continued respect for my privacy and that of my family,” she said, “as I focus on my recovery.”
