Heroic Man Shields Fiancée from Subway Attack, Suffers Severe Burns

Petrit Alijaj, 23, says he will be in the hospital for at least a week after a man threw burning liquid at him on the subway.

Petrit Alijaj, 23, heroically protected his fiancée from a horrific attack on the subway by jumping in front of her when a maniac threw flaming liquid at them. Alijaj, now covered in bandages on his upper body, recounted the terrifying incident from his bed at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Hospital.

Alijaj suffered burns on 30 percent of his body and expects to remain in the hospital for at least a week. Despite the severe injuries, he said it was worth it to protect his loved one.

Alijaj suffered burns to his chest, neck, arms, ears and hand.

"I protected my fiancée with my body," he said. Although in less pain now due to medication, he described the initial agony as overwhelming. Originally from Albania, Alijaj was on the No. 1 train with his fiancée and cousin, heading to the Statue of Liberty, when the attack occurred around 2:45 p.m. at Varick Street station in lower Manhattan.

The assailant, identified as 49-year-old Nile Taylor, boarded the train with a cup filled with a flammable liquid. "He had a cup, like this, maybe smaller, something inside, like oil. He made fire and he threw it all," Alijaj explained, demonstrating the motion of tossing liquid from a cup. Alijaj shielded his fiancée and cousin with his body, causing his shirt to catch fire. He slapped at the flames and fled the train.

Alijaj ripped off his burning shirt as he ran off the train.

"I touched myself to put out the fire," he said. "So while I was running, I was burning." He managed to rip off his smoldering T-shirt and was later seen using a firetruck hose to cool his burns.

Initially, Alijaj didn’t realize the severity of his injuries but later found himself covered in blisters on his neck, ears, chest, arms, and left hand. Doctors are still assessing the depth of his burns. "The doctors said 30 percent of my body was burnt," he said, though he optimistically believes it may be less. Despite the painful blisters on his ears, he can still hear and is thankful his face was unharmed.

Alijaj cooled off his burns with the help of an FDNY firefighter after the attack.

Alijaj has been living in New York for about a year. Taylor was arrested shortly after the attack, tracked by a cell phone he had picked up while fleeing. Police apprehended him near the Holland Tunnel.

This attack is the second such incident in four months, and police are investigating whether Taylor is linked to the previous case.