NEW YORK– A man accused of set a woman on fire on a New York City subway train and then watching her die after being engulfed in flames, awaiting her arraignment on Tuesday.
Sebastian Zapeta, 33, is charged with murder and arson over the woman’s death.
Federal immigration officials said Zapeta is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally after being deported earlier in 2018.
The seemingly random attack took place on Sunday morning on a stopped F train at Brooklyn’s Coney Island station, police said.
Authorities say Zapeta approached the woman, who was sitting motionless in the train car and possibly sleeping, and used a lighter to set her clothing on fire. The woman quickly became engulfed in flames, while Zapeta then sat on a bench on the subway platform and watched as police officers and a transit worker extinguished the fire, police said.
The woman, whose identity has not yet been released, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Zapeta was arrested on Sunday afternoon while on a train on the same metro line, after police received a tip from some teenagers who recognized him in images distributed by police.
It was unclear whether Zapeta has an attorney. An address released by police for Zapeta in Brooklyn matches a shelter that provides housing and substance abuse support. The shelter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez called the attack a “heinous and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman” that “would have the most serious consequences.”
The crime — and a harrowing video of it that bounced around social media — deepened a growing sense of unease among New Yorkers about the safety of the subway system.
Violent crimes on city trains can put travelers on edge, in part because most New Yorkers take the subway several times a day and often have their own experiences with uncomfortable interactions on the system.
Controlling the Metro is also difficult, given the vast network of trains that run continuously between the system’s 472 stations, with each stop having multiple access points and, in many stations, multiple floors and platforms. On Sunday, police patrolled the station where the woman was burned in another area and responded after seeing and smelling smoke, authorities said.
According to authorities, crime in transit has decreased overall this year compared to last year.
Major crimes fell 6% between January and November of this year and in 2023, according to data from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. But the number of homicides is up, with nine homicides this year through November, compared to five in the same period last year.
At the same time, there are high-profile incidents on the train, such as the case of Daniel Pennya military veteran who strangled an agitated New York subway rider and was acquitted of murder this month often draws national attention and further frightens passengers.