Man faces murder charges in death of woman lit on fire in New York City subway: What to know

New York woman set on fire: Here is what to know about Sebastian Zapeta, charged for murder after setting woman on fire in New York City subway.

A man is facing murder and arson charges in New York City for allegedly setting a woman on fire inside a subway train and then watching her die after she was engulfed in flames, police said Monday (December 23, 2024).

The suspect, identified by police as Sebastian Zapeta, was taken into custody hours after the woman died on Sunday (December 22, 2024) morning.

Zapeta, 33, is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally after he had been previously removed in 2018, said Jeff Carter, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Surveillance video showed the suspect approach the woman, who was sitting motionless and may have been sleeping, on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station in Brooklyn and set her clothing on fire, police said.

The woman’s clothing ““became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds,” said Jessica Tisch, the New York City police commissioner, while the suspect remained at the scene, watching her burn from a bench on the subway platform as police and a transit worker extinguished the flames.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not yet released her identity.

Ms. Tisch called the incident “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being.”