72nd Arrest Was the Charm: Outrage Erupts After Career Criminal Sets Woman on Fire
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has identified the victim of a horrifying Chicago train attack as 26-year-old Bethany MaGee, while launching a searing condemnation of the city’s criminal justice policies. MaGee was reading her phone on a CTA Blue Line train when, prosecutors allege, 50-year-old Lawrence Reed—a career criminal with 72 prior arrests who was out on bond—doused her with gasoline and set her ablaze. “This would never have happened if this thug had been behind bars,” Duffy stated, blaming the attack directly on a system that lets “repeat offenders roam the streets.”
Bethany MaGee, who was critically injured in a Nov. 17, 2025, attack aboard a Chicago L train
The brutal assault has ignited fierce scrutiny over Chicago’s handling of repeat offenders, revealing a suspect with a decades-long history of violence. At the time of the attack, Reed was already facing charges for aggravated arson at a government building and a separate battery at a psychiatric hospital. Federal prosecutors detailed a chilling scene: after watching MaGee become “engulfed in flames,” Reed casually exited the train, leaving his victim to collapse on the platform with severe burns. Following his arrest, Reed reportedly told a judge a life sentence would be “cool,” as MaGee remains in critical condition, fighting for her life.
Lawrence Reed, 50, is charged with committing a terrorist attack or violence against a mass transportation system, according to officials.
