Harlem Fire That Killed MTA Conductor Deemed Homicide, Police Say

HARLEM, NY — A March fire that killed an MTA conductor in Harlem has been classified a homicide by the New York City Police Department, a department spokesperson said this week.

Police are still hunting for the person who set the March 27 fire at the 110th Street and Lenox Avenue station on the 2/3 lines and released photos of a new suspect on Thursday. Garrett Goble, 36, was discovered dead in the station's tunnels after the early-morning fire was extinguished.

Medics rushed Goble to Mount Sinai hospital — where he was pronounced dead — after discovering his body in the station roadbed around 3 a.m., police said. Four other people were also hospitalized in stable condition, police said. Seven civilians and five firefighters suffered minor injuries during the fire, according to an FDNY spokesperson.

Goble was leading passengers to safety when he died, transit officials said. Representatives for the Transit Workers Union described Goble's efforts during the fire as "heroic."

The Harlem train station reopened about two weeks after the deadly blaze, albeit at a reduced rate due to cuts caused by the coronavirus outbreak in New York City.

"Train Operator Garrett Goble was a hero for delivering transportation for people working to save lives during a pandemic, and for trying help riders during the fire that tragically took his life. Transit workers did a remarkable job getting a horribly damaged station repaired, restored and cleaned up with the dignity and speed that TO Goble's memory and our customers deserve," New York City Transit Interim President Sarah Feinberg said in a statement.

The NYPD is offering a $2,500 reward and the MTA is offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and indictment of the person who set the deadly fire, police said. The NYPD released photos of a person wanted in connection with the fire on Thursday.