❓WHAT HAPPENED: A woman who was set on fire on a Chicago subway train has been released from the hospital three months after the attack.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Victim Bethany MaGee, 26, and suspect Lawrence Reed, 50.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The attack occurred in November 2025 on Chicago’s Blue Line subway; MaGee was hospitalized at Stroger Hospital.
💬KEY QUOTE: “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.” – Bethany MaGee
🎯IMPACT: The attack has raised concerns about judicial leniency after the suspect, who has a lengthy criminal record, was released despite warnings from prosecutors.
Bethany MaGee, 26, has been released from Stroger Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, nearly three months after she was set on fire during a brutal, random attack on a CTA Blue Line subway train. MaGee suffered burns to roughly 60 percent of her body in the November 2025 attack, which prosecutors allege was carried out by Lawrence Reed, 50.
In a statement marking her discharge, MaGee expressed appreciation for those who supported her during her 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. She also praised the medical staff, thanking the Stroger Hospital burn team for their “exceptional care, compassion, and expertise.”
Prosecutors say Reed poured gasoline on MaGee inside the subway car and ignited it while yelling, “Burn alive, b***h!” Surveillance video reportedly captured the attack. MaGee was able to escape the train at the Clark and Lake station, where bystanders rushed to help extinguish the flames and provide aid until emergency responders arrived.
Reed had a lengthy criminal history, with authorities saying he had been arrested more than 70 times prior to the attack. Prosecutors had previously warned that he posed a serious threat and that his next offense would “likely be violent.” Despite those warnings, he was released from custody by liberal Cook County Judge Teresa Molina-Gonzalez following an earlier arrest in August 2025, who said dismissively, “I understand your position, but I can’t keep everybody in jail because the State’s Attorney wants me to.”
The attack has intensified scrutiny of judicial decisions in Chicago, particularly regarding repeat offenders. Federal officials have warned city leaders that Chicago could risk losing federal transit funding if stronger safety measures are not implemented on public transportation following a series of violent incidents.
The case has also drawn comparisons to other high-profile transit crimes, including the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, earlier in 2025, allegedly by a black male who shouted “I got that white girl” following the attack.
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