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ICE: Suspect in subway attack is illegal immigrant
NYPD has identified the man accused of setting a sleeping woman on fire on a subway train as 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala. FOX 5 NY's Briella Tomassetti joined LiveNOW from FOX's Josh Breslow to discuss new details in the case.
A man in New York City is facing murder and arson charges for allegedly setting a woman on fire inside a subway train over the weekend and then watching her die.
Authorities have identified the suspect as 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta, and he made his initial court appearance on Tuesday.
Here is what happened and what to know about the suspect:
Woman set on fire in subway
According to police, the victim, as well as the suspect, were both riding the F train Dec. 22, 2024, just before 7:30 a.m. to the Stillwell Avenue Subway station in Coney Island. Police do not believe the two knew one another.
When the train stopped at the end of the line, police said the suspect calmly walked up to the seated woman and set her on fire with his lighter. The woman's clothing then "became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds," NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a Sunday press conference.
"Officers who were on patrol on an upper level of that station smelled and saw smoke and went to investigate. What they saw was a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames," Tisch said.
The woman, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Suspect arrested
Image: Authorities lead suspect Sebastian Zapeta on his first initial court hearing on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (WNYW)
Unbeknownst to the officers, the suspect had remained at the scene and was seated on a bench on the subway platform, just outside the train car, Tisch said. Body cameras worn by the officers caught a "very clear, detailed look" at the suspect and those images were publicly disseminated.
Three high school students later recognized him and called 911, and the suspect was arrested on another subway train.
The suspect had a lighter in his pocket when he was taken into custody, Tisch said.
Who is Sebastian Zapeta-Calil?
Authorities have identified the suspect as 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta-Calil.
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.
Zapeta was arrested by Border Patrol on June 1, 2018, after he crossed illegally into Sonoita, Arizona, and was deported just days later, ICE spokesperson Marie Ferguson told FOX News.
It is unclear when and where Zapeta reentered the U.S. after being removed about six years ago.
He’s been charged with arson, and first- and second-degree murder.
Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg said during Tuesday’s court hearing that Zapeta lit the woman’s clothing on fire and fanned the flames using his shirt.
Rottenberg added that under interrogation Zapeta claimed he didn’t know what happened, noting that he consumes alcohol. But he alleged that Zapeta identified himself to interrogators in images related to the attack.
Zapeta’s next court date is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 27.
A Brooklyn address for Zapeta released by police matches a service center for Samaritan Daytop Village, which provides housing and substance abuse support. The organization did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from WNYW FOX 5 New York and The Associated Press, which got information from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the New York Police Department. This story was reported from Detroit. FOX 5’s Amanda Geffner contributed.