A Guatemalan immigrant has been arrested in connection with the brutal arson of a woman on the subway. Brooklyn, New Yorkwas previously deported on Sunday.
Sebastian Zapeta, 33, is a U.S. immigrant who was arrested by the Border Patrol after illegally entering Sonoita, Arizona, on June 1, 2018, and was deported days later by the Trump administration on June 7. Marie Ferguson, a spokeswoman for Customs Enforcement, told Fox News. .
Ferguson added that Zapeta subsequently reentered the United States illegally on “an unknown date and location.”
She added that after details of Mr. Zapeta's indictment and where he is being held are made public, Operation Force Removal “intends to file an immigration complaint at the NYPD location where he is being held.”
NYPD arrests immigrant who set woman on fire on subway and watched her burn to death
New York City police officers escort a suspect wanted for murder on the F train in Coney Island from a subdivision in Lower Manhattan on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (Courtesy of GN Miller/New York Post)
So far, no charges have been filed against Zapeta. The Kings County District Attorney's Office said in a statement Monday that “there are no plans to do so” and “there is no scheduled court appearance today.”
Surveillance video shows the suspect calmly approach the woman, who was seated, motionless, and possibly sleeping, while aboard the stopped F train at the Coney Island-Stilwell Avenue subway station, then set her on fire. I could see it being released.
The New York City Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's inquiry regarding the identity of the victim.
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Police investigate the scene of the death of a woman who was set on fire by a man while she was sleeping on an MTA subway train at the Coney Island-Stilwell Avenue subway station on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Brooklyn, New York. . (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said her clothing was “completely engulfed in a matter of seconds” and called the incident “one of the most despicable crimes one human being can commit against another human being.” He said that.
The suspect then sat on a nearby bench outside the vehicle and watched as police and traffic personnel extinguished the fire. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police believe that the woman was sleeping on the train when a man approached her and started the fire. She was pronounced dead at the scene. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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He was arrested a few hours later while riding the same subway line. Tisch added that the person of interest was found to have a lighter in his pocket.
“The despicability of this horrific crime is beyond comprehension, and my office is fully committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice,” the prosecutor's office said in a statement. “This gruesome and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman will face the most serious consequences. Every New Yorker has the right to feel safe on the subway, and we will ensure accountability in this case.” I would like to thank the NYPD for their swift action in apprehending the suspect.”
Fox News' Seth Andrews, Greg Wehner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
