What to Know About the Death of a Woman Set on Fire on New York Train

NEW YORK — The man accused of lighting a woman on fire on a New York City subway and fanning the flames as she burned to death made his first appearance in court this week, while authorities were yet to publicly identify the victim.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, was arraigned on murder and arson charges on Tuesday afternoon in a Brooklyn court, where he was remanded back to custody. He did not enter a plea and his lawyer did not speak to reporters assembled inside the courthouse. His next court date is scheduled for Friday.

Authorities allege Zapeta, who federal immigration officials say is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally, calmly approached the woman aboard a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn on Sunday morning and set her clothing ablaze.

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Sunday described the case as “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being.”

Here’s the latest:

What do we know about the suspect?

Zapeta was taken into custody on Sunday, hours after police disseminated images of a suspect in the woman’s death.

Police said three high schoolers called 911 after recognizing the person in the image, and officers found him on another subway train in the same gray hoodie, wool hat, paint-splattered pants and tan boots.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Jeff Carter said Zapeta is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally after he had been previously deported to Guatemala in 2018. It is unclear when and where he reentered the U.S., Carter said.

Zapeta was arraigned in Brooklyn criminal court on Tuesday. He appeared before a judge in a white jumpsuit and did not speak.

Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg, during Tuesday’s court hearing, alleged Zapeta lit the woman’s clothing on fire and fanned the flames using a shirt.

Rottenberg added that under interrogation Zapeta claimed he didn’t know what happened, noting that he consumes alcohol. But he alleged that Zapeta identified himself to interrogators in images of the attack.

A Brooklyn address for Zapeta released by police matches a service center for Samaritan Daytop Village, which provides housing and substance abuse support. The organization did not respond to a request for comment.

What do we know about the victim?

The victim had not been publicly identified as of Thursday, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed. Police have described her only as a woman.

Tisch said at a press conference on Sunday that the victim was “in a seated position” at the end of the train car when she was set on fire. Joseph Gulotta, the department’s chief of transit, added that police don’t believe the suspect and the victim knew each other and that they did not interact before or during the incident.

What kind of police presence is there on the subway?

Police patrol the New York City subways, and there is a vast network of cameras in stations and all subway cars.

But the sheer size of the subway system — 472 stations with multiple entry points and millions of riders each day — makes policing it logistically difficult.

On Sunday, officers were at the station but were patrolling a different platform. They responded after seeing and smelling smoke coming from the fire.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul earlier this year directed members of the state’s National Guard to assist with random bag checks at certain stations.

Is crime up on the subways?

Violent incidents on the subway and in stations often put people on edge, partly because many New Yorkers take the train multiple times a day and often have their own experiences with uncomfortable interactions in the system.

Broadly, crime is down in the city transit system this year compared to the same period in 2023. Data compiled by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority shows a 6% decline in what the agency calls major felonies between January and November of this year and 2023.

At the same time, murders in the transit system are up, with nine killings this year through November compared to five in the same time frame last year.

High-profile incidents on the train often attract national attention and further unnerve passengers. Daniel Penny, a military veteran who placed an agitated subway rider in a chokehold, was acquitted of homicide this month.

“When you have these incidents, it overshadows the success and it plays on the psyche of New Yorkers,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams in a Monday interview on PIX 11, noting that many high-profile incidents in the transit system involve people with mental health issues.