Two people arrested for setting homeless man on fire. One had 131 previous arrests.

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Two people were arrested, including a parolee with a criminal record that includes 131 prior arrests, for setting a homeless man on fire as he slept at Penn Station, police said Wednesday.

Damon Johnson, 47, was arrested Tuesday by officers with the Amtrak Police Department and charged with attempted murder and assault for the attack on Monday that left a 37-year-old man with second-degree burns on his arm and back, according to law enforcement. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court the following day, where he was ordered held without bail.

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Johnson is currently on parole for a 2018 robbery, in which he slashed a student’s face before taking cash from his pockets, according to Mullan, who said the victim required more than 100 stitches.

Beginning in 1995 with an assault charge in the Bronx, Johnson’s criminal record includes 131 prior arrests, cops said.

Before Tuesday, Johnson was most recently cuffed for an assault on Sept. 9, 2024, in which he punched and slapped a 56-year-old woman in the face during an argument on E. Tremont Ave. and Grand Concourse in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx.

Johnson faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years to life for the attempted murder at Penn Station due to his status as a persistent violent felon, Mullan said.

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