Jaw-dropping court statement of migrant who set woman on fire on NYC subway in crime that shocked America

The illegal migrant accused of setting fire to a sleeping woman on a New York subway has pleaded not guilty.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, appeared in court in Brooklyn on Tuesday morning wearing an orange jumpsuit as he was charged with murder and arson in connection with the killing of Debrina Kawam, 57.

Prosecutors say Zapeta set the New Jersey woman on fire on a stationary train at Brooklyn’s Coney Island station on December 22.

Zapeta then fanned the flames with a shirt before sitting on the couch and watching Kawam burn, they allege.

The court hearing lasted only five minutes and the next court date was March 12.

Law enforcement sources told The New York Post after his arrest for the murder that he claimed he was drunk and had no memory of the incident.

Footage of the moments after Kawam was set on fire went viral, showing an NYPD officer walking past the fire as a man, reportedly Zepeta, looked on.

Zapeta then fanned the flames with a shirt before sitting on the platform bench and watching Kawam, seen here, burn.

NYPD Police Chief Jessica Tisch told a news conference that responding officers were unaware the suspect was on the scene at the time.

Hours later, the NYPD released images of the suspect, showing his victim burning to death before casually walking away from the scene.

Zapeta eventually boarded the subway later that day and was arrested after being flagged by high school students who recognized him from the footage.

ICE officials said Zapeta illegally entered the U.S. from Guatemala in 2018 and was deported, but reentered the country at some point afterward.

The incident quickly became part of the national debate about the dramatic increase in crimes committed by illegal immigrants in the United States.

New York Mayor Eric Adams came out after Zepeta’s arrest and called on federal prosecutors to charge him in addition to state charges.

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil sits on a bench in the subway and watches the woman he set on fire burn alive

“Setting another human being on fire and watching him burn alive reflects a level of evil that cannot be tolerated,” he said in a statement.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez countered that he wanted the case to remain under state jurisdiction.

“First-degree murder carries the possibility of life in prison without parole,” he said, noting that this was “more important in state court than it currently is in federal court.”

“We strongly believe this case belongs in state court,” he said. “We have a very strong working relationship with our federal partners and obviously we will always do what is in the best interest” of this case.