A monster on a Chicago Blue Line train allegedly doused a young woman in gasoline and set her ablaze in a brazen, unthinkable attack that has left the city reeling and commuters terrified to ride. Surveillance footage released by investigators shows the suspect filling a container at a gas station, boarding the train, and then carrying out the assault in broad daylight — a chilling reminder that public safety is collapsing in our big cities.
Federal prosecutors have charged 50-year-old Lawrence Reed with a terrorism offense after his arrest the next morning, and court filings describe him as having burns on his hand and acting erratically in court. Reports say Reed even shouted that he pleaded guilty as the judge tried to advise him of his rights, underscoring the dangerous unpredictability officials allowed to roam the streets.
The victim — a 26-year-old woman identified in reporting as Bethany MaGee — suffered horrific burns and remains hospitalized in critical condition, a human life forever scarred while a city’s leadership wrings its hands. This was not a random scuffle or a petty crime; it was attempted murder in a crowded public transit car, and ordinary citizens paid the price.
Even more damning than the footage is the backstory: Reed’s record stretches back decades, with dozens of arrests and multiple violent charges, and he was reportedly out on electronic monitoring when he allegedly carried out this attack. How many times must a community be told that so-called second chances can turn into someone else’s nightmare before policy changes?
The Trump administration has rightly placed pressure on Chicago to fix what is clearly a broken system, warning it could withhold federal transit funding unless the city produces a credible safety plan and increases law enforcement on trains. Using federal leverage to demand accountability is exactly what Americans expect when city administrations fail to protect commuters and workers.
Let’s be blunt: progressive soft-on-crime policies, bloated bureaucracy, and weak judicial practices have turned transit systems into hunting grounds for repeat offenders. This isn’t a moment for spin or partisan grandstanding from Mayor Johnson or Governor Pritzker — it’s a moment for action, for restoring consequences and backing our police so everyday people can ride without fear.
Our prayers are with the victim and her family, and our gratitude belongs to the officers who brought the suspect into custody before he could do more harm. But gratitude without reform is empty — voters deserve to see meaningful policy changes that keep predators off the street, from sensible bail reform to stricter oversight of those on electronic monitoring.
Hardworking Americans who commute deserve safe trains and secure streets, not lectures from politicians who prefer virtue signaling to the hard work of keeping people safe. If Chicago’s leaders won’t act, federal pressure should continue until the city proves it will put law and order ahead of political posturing and restore protectorhood to its transit system.
