Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, was arrested following the fatal burning of the victim on Sunday, according to Yahoo. Authorities allege that the suspect approached a woman sleeping on a stationary train in midtown Manhattan, before setting her clothes on fire. A surveillance camera video appears to show the suspect leaving the train and sitting on a station bench- watching as the victim of the crime was engulfed in flames.
The victim, who may have suffered from mobility issues, has not been publicly identified. She was pronounced dead after being taken to an area hospital for medical treatment.
Zapeta-Calil was deported from the United States in 2018 after illegally infiltrating the southern border in Arizona. It's unclear when he entered the United States again.
🚨BREAKING: The man accused of burning a woman to death on the New York City subway has been identified as an illegal immigrant from Guatemala who re-entered the U.S. after being deported. pic.twitter.com/u8KAr9Ip8L
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 23, 2024
A man who slept next to Zapeta-Calil at a Brooklyn homeless shelter described him as a habitual drug user whose behavior could fluctuate.
“He smoked K2, drank and bugged out,” Raymont Robinson told the New York Post of Zapeta-Calil. “He would bug out and talk to himself when he was high, but he never harmed nobody or himself. When he wasn’t high he’d talk like we’re talking regular.”
Sebastián Zapeta-Calil, a 33-year-old Guatemalan national, was deported in 2018 after being apprehended at the Mexican border. He later illegally re-entered the U.S. and was residing in New York City, reportedly using the city's shelter system.
— Silicon Sentinal 🦾 (@DogCat100X) December 24, 2024
He’s now charged with murder and… pic.twitter.com/H2LkV93sQn
A video shows New York Police Department officers forcefully arresting Zapeta-Calil on board another crowded subway train.
The arrest of the Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, the 33-year-old Guatemalan citizen who entered the US, unlawfully sometime in the past six years, accused of murdering a woman on the F train by setting her on fire.#NYC #nycsubway #nypd #subway #mta #newyorksubway #newyorkcity pic.twitter.com/K6TdtnTYZs
— Dana Abercrombie (@sagesurge) December 23, 2024
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez pledged to hold Zapeta-Calil accountable for the crime in a statement after his arrest. The defendant is facing charges of both first and second degree murder, as well as first degree arson.
“The depravity of this horrific crime is beyond comprehension, and my office is committed to bringing the perpetrator to justice. This gruesome and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman will be met with the most serious consequences."
New York City Mayor Eric Adams also condemned the heinous crime.
Grateful to the young New Yorkers and transit officers who stepped up to help our NYPD make a quick arrest following this morning's heinous and deadly subway attack.
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) December 22, 2024
This type of depraved behavior has no place in our subways and we are committed to working hard to ensure there… https://t.co/TWs3iaC099
The incident- in which a woman was engulfed in flames inside a subway car as spectators appeared to simply watch in horror- has been criticized as an example of callousness, with some questioning as to why the victim of the crime seemed to go without assistance.
Zapeta-Calil indicated that he had no recollection of the event in question in a first appearance before a judge on Tuesday, although he clarified that he was a heavy drinker of alcohol, according to Yahoo. He hasn't entered a plea regarding the charges and is being detained without bail.
