A man charged with murder after allegedly setting a woman on fire on a New York City subway car was in the United States illegally.
On Sunday morning, a suspect approached a woman while they were both riding the F train to the end of the line at Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn, according to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
A man set a woman on fire in a subway car and watched her burn to death: police
“The suspect used what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the victim’s clothing, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds,” said Tisch.
She said it was “one of the most depraved crimes a person could possibly commit against another human being.”
Officers on patrol smelled smoke and went to investigate. They saw the victim, who was completely on fire, said Tisch. They put out the flames with an extinguisher, but it was “too late” for the woman.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
While this was happening, the suspect was seated on a bench on the platform outside the subway car.
Tisch said body cameras on officers provided a detailed look at the suspect. A photo of the suspect was distributed widely. Three high school-aged New Yorkers called police after they recognized the man.
Police later identified the suspect as 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta (also known as Zapeta-Calil).
He was arrested and charged with murder and arson on Sunday.
His arraignment could be as early as Tuesday, CNN reported.
Suspect came to U.S. from Guatemala in 2018
Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, police said Zapeta arrived from Guatemala in 2018.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson Jeff Carter told CNN that Zapeta was issued an expedited removal order by U.S. Border Patrol on June 1, 2018 in Sonoita, Arizona. On June 7 of that year, he was sent back to Guatemala, Carter said.
Although it is not known when and where, he returned to the U.S. illegally some time after, according to officials, CNN reported.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams told Fox 5 he was being briefed by police and it “appears as though he was a migrant that was removed from the country and then came back into the country.”
“Yes, this is a country of immigrants,” he said.
“It’s a country of those who want to seek to pursue the American dream. But those who violate that pursuit, we need to immediately remove them from our country. After they served their time, I don’t want to turn them back into a country just to have them sneak back in and the family members are not receiving justice for what happened.”
Homeless shelter listed as suspect’s address
Police said that Zapeta’s address in Brooklyn was listed as a service centre for Samaritan Daytop Village, a human services agency, Bloomberg News reported. They offer programs including treatment for substance use and supportive housing and shelters. They have more than 60 locations across New York City.
Samaritan Daytop Village did not immediately respond to the National Post’s request for comment.
The incident reportedly occurred on a subway line that homeless people often use to escape the cold while they ride the three-hour loop that goes from Queens to Brooklyn, per the New York Times.
New York City mayor calls out mental health issues
In a sit-down interview with Fox 5, Adams said that crime is down on the subway system — but there is still more to do. Adams agreed that the uneasiness of New Yorkers using the subway is driven by witnessing mental health episodes.
“Something is wrong when someone puts someone on fire, stands there and watches them,” he said.
“These are indicators that we must deal with the mental health issues that we’re facing in our city. If we don’t, (there’s going to be) random acts of violence that’s going to play on our psyche.”
No interaction between victim and suspect
At a press conference, police said there was “no interaction” between the victim and the suspect. The victim appeared to be motionless in the moments leading up to the incident, according to police.
Authorities did not tell media what stop the victim got onto the subway car. The woman has not yet been identified by police.
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