A Guatemalan immigrant was arrested Sunday in connection with the brutal death of a woman who was set on fire and burned to death inside a subway car in Brooklyn, New York.
Sources identified Fox News Digital's person of interest as 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta and said he entered the U.S. from Guatemala about a year ago, but it is unclear whether he entered the country legally or illegally. is.
Fox News Digital has reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for more information about Zapeta.
New York City Police Department (NYPD) officials said at a press conference Sunday night that no charges have been filed in the case.
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Police have released an image of a person of interest after a woman was brutally set on fire on a subway train in Brooklyn, New York. (New York City Police Department)
The killing occurred around 7:30 a.m. at the Stilwell Avenue subway station in Coney Island, New York City police said.
Police Chief Jessica Tisch provided further insight into the crime during a press conference Sunday night.
“Once the train entered the station, the suspect calmly walked up to the victim,'' the woman said, adding that the victim was seated. “The suspect used what appeared to be a lighter to ignite the victim's clothing, which completely engulfed him within seconds.”
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An arrest has been made in connection with the burning of a woman alive on a New York City subway. (New York City Police Department)
While patrolling the station, officers smelled smoke and asked them to investigate the situation.
When they arrived, officers saw a person standing inside a vehicle that was fully engulfed in flames, Tisch said. The blaze was eventually extinguished with the help of MTA personnel and fire extinguishers. The victim was pronounced dead, the chief said.
Tisch also said the person of interest remained at the scene, sitting on a bench on the platform just outside the vehicle.
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Police said there was no interaction between the man and the woman, but the man threw a lighter at her and within seconds she was bursting into flames. (New York City Police Department)
Tisch said responding officers' body-worn cameras captured clear and detailed footage of the “killer.”
After sharing a description and photo of the suspect with the public, three New York residents who are high school students called 911 and reported that they recognized the suspect. Traffic officers spoke with the high school students and also saw a man matching the description given to the public on another moving train.
The train was ordered to stop at the next station, where two transit police officers boarded the train and located the person of interest, who was subsequently arrested without incident. Tisch added that the person of interest was found to have a lighter in his pocket.
On December 22, 2024, police conducted an investigation at Brooklyn's Coney Island/Stilwell Avenue station after a woman was set on fire while riding a subway car in New York City. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said his prayers were with the families of the victims of “this senseless murder.”
“Thank you to the young New Yorkers and transit officers who stepped up to assist the NYPD in making swift arrests after this morning's brutal and deadly subway attack,” Adams wrote. “This type of despicable behavior will not be tolerated on our metros, and we are committed to ensuring speedy justice is served for all victims of violent crime.”
The incident shocked people just days before Christmas.
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)
MTA officials said the woman's clothing appeared to be completely “burnt off,” according to the New York Post.
“I was just passing by. The police were already on the scene. I didn't see her engulfed in flames, but that's what I heard. The power was already out. They… I turned off the lights.” [in the car] So no one could see,” a worker told the Post.
Another person was nearby as police processed the scene, but the woman's body had already been put out.
Police are investigating after a man set a woman on fire while she was sleeping on an MTA subway train at the Coney Island-Stilwell Avenue subway station in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“It's crazy. It's three days until Christmas,” he told the Post. “That's a mess.”
Police say anyone with information about this incident should call the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) We recommend that you call.
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Tips can also be submitted here: crimestoppers.nypdonline.org.
