A male individual faces severe criminal charges, including first-degree murder, following an accusation of setting a female ablaze while she was asleep on the New York City metro. The man in question, Sebastian Zapeta, aged 33, was formally charged on a Monday with first and second degree murder and arson; acts he allegedly committed over a weekend on a F train in Coney Island, in the Brooklyn district, according to law enforcement.
Subsequent to the inferno incident on the subway, Zapeta was arrested on the very day without resistance. The police noted that his apprehension was made possible after three underage individuals identified him from the pictures previously made public by New York City’s primary law enforcement agency.
Zapeta’s presence at the crime scene was confirmed through video footage retrieved from body-worn police cameras along with the internal monitoring system in the subway cars. Recordings showed Zapeta sitting nonchalantly on a platform, observing the unfortunate woman’s demise as she was engulfed in flames.
In relation to the individual’s immigration status, officials state that Zapeta’s residence within New York is unauthorized. He had been previously deported to his home country of Guatemala in 2018, but somehow managed to reenter the United States at an unspecified point in time.
Investigators on the case shared that there was no known connection or prior contact between Zapeta and the victim who was scorched while sound asleep on the subway. The woman’s identity remains undisclosed to the public.
The gruesome act took place early on a Sunday morning around 7:30 a.m. According to reports from the law enforcement officials, the woman was found aflame on the F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue metro station.
The perpetrator is believed to have used a lighter as the source of ignition, turning the unsuspecting victim’s attire into a deadly blaze within mere seconds, an act that horrified the onlooking officers.
On-duty officers at the station noticed the acrid smell of burning fabric, which led them to the horrific sight of a woman completely covered in flames within the subway car. The ferocity of the fire left the woman dead at the scene despite immediate intervention.
Extending a helping hand, a transit worker joined the officers in attempts to extinguish the firing using an available fire extinguisher. Despite their swift efforts, officials declared the woman did not survive the incident.
Zapeta was taken into custody at the 34th Street-Herald Square station only a few hours after the tragic incident. Officers noted that his attire matched the description of the suspect, and found a lighter, presumably the one used in the crime, in his pocket.
Upon arrest, Zapeta was escorted in handcuffs from the precinct located on 60th Street in the Brooklyn borough on Monday – an image that further solidified the severity of his charges.
Enquiries regarding Zapeta’s residence revealed that he had been staying at a shelter for men located in East New York, a detail that adds another piece to the grim puzzle of the crime.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that Zapeta entered the country unlawfully without admission by an immigration official back in 2018, shortly after which he was returned to Guatemala. However, the specifics of his reentry to the U.S. remain unknown.
ICE made it clear that they were unsure of the when and the where concerning Zapeta’s illegal reentry into the U.S. In light of this event, they have planned to initiate an immigration detainer against Zapeta, in collaboration with NYPD.
This abhorrent act of violance against a vulnerable individual, will be addressed with the highest level of ramifications. The city pledges that every citizen deserves a sense of security while navigating the cosmopolitan public transit system.
To ensure justice, all involved organizations are dedicated to do everything within their power to bring about accountability in this heinous case. Unofficial sources hint at the possibility of Zapeta’s arraignment taking place later that evening.