A 21-year-old man was hospitalised after catching fire on top of a New York City-bound commuter train in Connecticut.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said the man was found on fire on top of a Metro-North train shortly after 5am on Sunday in Greenwich. Crew members were trying to figure out why the train lost power when they found him.

An MTA spokesman, Aaron Donovan, said crew members doused Brian McClellen, of Ohio, with a fire extinguisher. He was taken to Westchester Medical Center. His condition wasn’t immediately available.

Donovan said MTA police were investigating how McClellen got on top of the train and why. The trains are powered by overhead electrical wires.

The train was carrying about 20 passengers. They had to get off and take another train toward New York.