NEW YORK (Reuters) – A 33-year-old Guatemalan citizen was arrested on suspicion of murder and arson after a woman was burned to death on a New York City subway train over the weekend, police and federal officials said on Monday.
Sebastian Zapeta was arrested about six hours after police say he used a lighter to ignite the clothes of a woman who appeared to be dozing on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station in Brooklyn.
The suspect entered the U.S. without authorization in 2018 and was deported to Guatemala a few days later, and it was unclear when he unlawfully re-entered, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement on Monday.
Police said there appeared to have been no prior interaction between the assailant, a Brooklyn man, and the victim, who has not been identified.
Zapeta was in custody and it was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer. He was arrested on a subway train on Sunday afternoon and had a lighter in his pocket, police said. He was due to appear in court to face charges on Monday or Tuesday.
Subway workers and police officers who had been patrolling the station used fire extinguishers to put out the flames that engulfed the woman, who was declared dead at the scene.
“The depravity of this horrific crime is beyond comprehension, and my office is committed to bringing the perpetrator to justice,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement on Monday. “This gruesome and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman will be met with the most serious consequences.”
The Department of Homeland Security statement said it would pursue removal proceedings again whenever Zapeta was released from New York custody, which could include a lengthy prison sentence if he is convicted.
(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Howard Goller)
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