On Monday a 33-year-old Guatemalan citizen was charged with murder and arson after allegedly lighting a woman on a fire and watching her burn to death on a New York City subway train over the weekend, police and federal official said.
The Suspect, Sebastian Zapeta was apprehended about six hours after police say he used a lighter to ignite the clothes of a woman who appeared to be dozing on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn.
Read Also: UAE becomes Africa’s largest investor amid rights concerns
According to NYC Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the victim was on a New York City train at about 7:30 a.m. on sunday when she was approached by the suspect who intentionally set her on fire. Tisch said the suspect was sitting on a platform bench near the train car as the woman burned prior fleeing and responding officers’ body cameras captured his image.
On Monday, he was charged with murder and arson, police said. The suspect entered the Unitted States without permis in 2018 and was deported to Guatemala a few days later. It was unclear when he unlawfully re-entered, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
Per police, there was no prior interaction between the assailant, a Brooklyn man, and the victim, who has not been identified.
