A person is dealing with homicide and arson costs in New York Metropolis for allegedly setting a lady on hearth inside a subway practice after which watching her die after she was engulfed in flames, police stated Monday.
The suspect, recognized by police as Sebastian Zapeta, was taken into custody hours after the lady died on Sunday morning.
Zapeta, 33, is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally after he had been beforehand eliminated in 2018, stated Jeff Carter, a spokesman for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Surveillance video confirmed the suspect method the lady, who was sitting immobile and will have been sleeping, on a stationary F practice on the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station in Brooklyn and set her clothes on hearth, police stated.
The lady’s clothes ““grew to become absolutely engulfed in a matter of seconds,” stated Jessica Tisch, the New York Metropolis police commissioner, whereas the suspect remained on the scene, watching her burn from a bench on the subway platform as police and a transit employee extinguished the flames.
The lady was pronounced lifeless on the scene. Police haven’t but launched her identification.
Tisch referred to as the incident “one of the vital wicked crimes one individual may probably commit in opposition to one other human being.”
Police arrested Sebastian Zapeta later Sunday, using the identical subway line, after getting a tip from a gaggle of highschool college students who acknowledged photos of the suspect that have been circulated by police.
It’s unclear when and the place Zapeta reentered the US after being eliminated about six years in the past.
Additionally learn: Horrific video reveals ‘evil’ Guatemalan immigrant calmly watching lady burn to loss of life after setting her ablaze
In an announcement, Brooklyn District Legal professional Eric Gonzalez stated, “The depravity of this horrific crime is past comprehension, and my workplace is dedicated to bringing the perpetrator to justice.”
“This grotesque and mindless act of violence in opposition to a susceptible lady will likely be met with probably the most severe penalties,” he stated.
It was unclear if Zapeta has an lawyer or when he can be arraigned.
A Brooklyn deal with for Zapeta launched by police matches a service middle for Samaritan Daytop Village, which gives housing and substance abuse help. The group didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul this yr has sent New York National Guard members to town’s subway system to assist police conduct random searches of riders’ baggage for weapons following a sequence of high-profile crimes on metropolis trains. Hochul lately deployed extra members to assist patrol through the vacation season.
A few yr in the past, Hochul supported funding to put in video cameras on each practice automotive within the New York subway system, stated Michael Kemper, chief safety officer for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He and different officers on Sunday credited the cameras with serving to to trace down the suspect so shortly.
