Last week, Bethany MaGee, a 26-year-old woman on Chicago's Blue Line train, was set on fire by Lawrence Reed, a 50-year-old career criminal with dozens of arrests for various crimes and felony convictions. Prior to this month's attack, Reed was arrested in August for hitting a social worker at a psychiatric hospital, causing her traumatic injuries that led to two ER visits. Prosecutors asked a judge to keep Reed in custody.
That judge, Judge Teresa Molina-Gonzalez, refused and released Reed with an ankle monitor and restrictions on when he could leave his residence. In September, a judge modified those restrictions.
Now MaGee's family is speaking out. MaGee herself remains in the hospital with burns on more than half of her body.
(Content warning: this video contains images that might be disturbing to some viewers):
A 26-year-old woman’s family is speaking out after she was doused in oil and set on fire on a train in Chicago this week. The woman remains under medical care at a hospital burn unit.
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 25, 2025
The suspect charged with attacking her, 50-year-old Lawrence Reed, was on electronic… pic.twitter.com/LaVgaAeGxV
In a statement, MaGee's family said, "We would like to thank everyone for their prayers and well-wishes as our daughter receives care for injuries sustained earlier this week. We are also grateful for the excellent care and support of the burn team at Stroger Hospital."
Mayor Brandon Johnson called the attack "an absolute failure of our criminal justice as well as our mental health institutions" and demanded more funding for mental health institutions. He also called the attack an "isolated incident."
In a post on X, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote, "This would have never happened if this thug had been behind bars, yet Chicago lets repeat offenders roam the streets. Chicago's carelessness is putting the American people at risk. No one should ever have to fear for their life on the subway."
CBS News also reported that Reed was convicted in January 2020 of smashing windows on the Blue Line train at O'Hare. For that, he was sentenced to two years' probation but the CTA never banned him from the transit system.
Reed is due back in federal court on Friday, when a judge will decide if he will remain in custody awaiting trial. He's facing a charge of committing a terrorist attack against a mass transportation system.
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