Man Indicted in Death of Woman Set Ablaze on New York City Subway

The Guatemalan man accused of setting a woman on fire aboard a subway train in Brooklyn has been indicted on charges of murder and arson, prosecutors announced on Friday. The incident, described as one of the most shocking in recent memory, has intensified concerns about safety on New York City’s transit system.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, is accused of approaching the woman, who was reportedly sleeping on an F train stationed at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue stop, and setting her clothing on fire with a lighter. Prosecutors said Zapeta then used a shirt to fan the flames, causing the fire to consume the woman’s body as he sat nearby watching. The attack occurred on December 22, shortly before 2 a.m.

Emergency responders arrived at the scene to find the woman’s body severely burned. She was pronounced dead on the scene. Efforts to identify her are ongoing, and authorities have turned to advanced DNA analysis to confirm her identity as reported by The Associated Press. Investigators believe she may have been homeless.

Zapeta was arrested later that day after police reviewed surveillance footage that allegedly captured him carrying out the attack. According to court documents, Zapeta claimed during police questioning that he had no memory of the incident, attributing his actions to intoxication. However, he identified himself in the footage.

The illegal Guatemalan migrant Sebastian Zapeta has been charged with murder after setting a sleeping woman on fire in the NYC subway

It turns out he was deported under Trump’s 1st term in office but snuck into USA again at some point and later lived in taxpayer-funded shelters pic.twitter.com/86KUbkblsu

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) December 23, 2024

Zapeta has been charged with multiple counts of murder and arson. If convicted on the most serious charges, he faces life imprisonment without parole. He is expected to appear in court for the unsealing of the indictment on January 7, 2025. Zapeta had previously been deported from the United States in 2018 but reentered the country illegally. His immigration status has added another dimension to the case, with many people, and city officials calling for tighter enforcement of federal immigration laws after the Biden administration’s doings.

The illegal Guatemalan who burned a woman to death on the NYC subway, Sebastian Zapeta, was deported under Trump’s “racist and xenophobic” immigration policies, and then snuck back into our country, but was never deported again under the Democrats’ “humane and compassionate” open… pic.twitter.com/bPef4bBpe7

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) December 23, 2024

“Today we take our first significant step towards pursuing justice in this case, with the grand jury having indicted Sebastian Zapeta with four counts of murder,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced on Friday. “Murder in the first degree, three counts of murder in the second degree, and arson in the first degree.”

“These are significant counts. Murder in the first degree carries the possibility of life without parole. It’s the most serious statute in New York state law, and my office is very confident about the evidence in this case and our ability to hold Zapeta accountable for his dastardly deeds,” he said.

Gonzalez continued, “We believe very strongly that this case belongs in state court because the charges here are more significant than currently in federal court, but we have a very strong working relationship with our federal partners, and of course will always do what’s in the best interest of the people of the state of New York and the city of Brooklyn, because we want to make sure he’s fully held accountable. This was a malicious deed. A sleeping, vulnerable woman on our subway system.”

Mayor Eric Adams’ office is advocating for federal charges against Zapeta. “Lighting another human being on fire and watching them burn alive reflects a level of evil that cannot be tolerated,” said Adams’ office in a statement.

The case is expected to draw significant attention when it goes to trial.

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