A man has been charged with murder following the tragic death of a woman who was set on fire aboard a subway train in New York.
Sebastian Zapeta, 33, faces charges of first-degree and second-degree murder, as well as arson, for the horrific attack, which occurred on Sunday.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the incident as “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being.”
The victim was aboard a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn when Zapeta allegedly used a lighter to ignite her clothing. The flames quickly engulfed her, and despite officers’ efforts to extinguish the fire, the woman died at the scene.
Authorities revealed the woman was motionless during the attack. While detectives are still investigating, NYPD’s Joseph Gulotta stated it’s unclear whether she was asleep at the time. There was no known interaction between the victim and the suspect before the assault, and police do not believe the two knew each other.
Officers, who were on patrol in an upper level of the station, detected smoke and rushed to investigate. “What they saw was a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames,” Commissioner Tisch said.
Zapeta reportedly exited the train but did not leave the station. Instead, he remained seated on a platform bench near the scene. Responding officers’ body cameras captured detailed images of him, which were later circulated by the NYPD.
The suspect’s whereabouts were reported by three high school students who recognized him on another subway train and called 911. Officers intercepted the train at Herald Square station in Manhattan, near the Empire State Building, where they arrested Zapeta and found a lighter in his possession.
Immigration officials disclosed that Zapeta had entered the U.S. illegally in 2018, was detained and deported, but later unlawfully re-entered the country.
Commissioner Tisch praised the students who reported the suspect, stating, “They saw something, they said something, and they did something.”