Corrections/clarifications: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported New York City transit crime figures comparing statistical data from 2024 and 2023.
A man was arrested and charged with murder and arson after a woman was set ablaze on a New York City subway train over the weekend, authorities and federal officials said Monday.
According to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the victim was aboard a New York City train at about 7:30 a.m. Sunday when she was approached by the suspect who intentionally set her on fire. Tisch said the suspect was sitting on a platform bench near the train car as the woman burned before fleeing and responding officers’ body cameras captured his image.
Tisch described the attack as “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being.”
A NYPD spokesperson confirmed on Monday that Sebastian Zapeta, 33, was arrested at about 1:10 p.m. local time on murder and arson charges.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson Jeff Carter said earlier Monday that the suspect, who the agency identified as Zapeta, is a Guatemalan who entered the U.S. illegally and was deported in June 2018 but later made it back into the country. It is not known when and where he reached the U.S. illegally again, according to Carter.
“Once he is charged and a holding location is released, ERO (Enforcement and Removal Operations) will lodge an immigration detainer with the NYPD location where he is being held,” Carter said in a statement.
Mayor Eric Adams expressed gratitude to “the young New Yorkers and transit officers” who aided in the capture of someone described as a person of interest on another subway train a few hours after the “heinous” attack.
“This type of depraved behavior has no place in our subways and we are committed to working hard to ensure there is swift justice for all victims of violent crime,” Adams said in a social media post.
Sunday’s tragedy took place just days after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, MTA CEO Janno Leiber and law enforcement officials announced efforts to increase subway safety.
“A suspect is now in custody for the horrific incident on the F train,” Hocul said in a statement, adding that new security cameras “helped law enforcement find the suspect and arrest him.”
Earlier this year, the governor introduced a five-point plan using state resources to improve subway safety in the city. Hochul initially deployed 750 members of the state National Guard and 250 state troopers and police officers from the MTA. The plan was implemented after several high-profile incidents occurred on the city’s subway system, including a deadly shooting that broke out on an elevated train platform and a train conductor who was injured in a slashing attack.
Developments:
◾ Also Sunday, one person was killed and another wounded in a stabbing attack on a subway train in Queens, police said.
◾ About 4 million trips are taken each weekday on the city’s subway, Reuters reported. As of November, there had been nine homicides reported on the subway system in 2024, compared with five in the same period in 2023, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Overall, the agency reported a 6% drop in major felonies, which include murder, rape, felony assaults, and robberies, between January and November this year compared to the same period in 2023.
Responding officers found woman ‘fully engulfed in flames’
Police believe the suspect used a lighter to ignite the victim’s clothing, Tisch said. Officers patrolling on an upper level of the subway station then smelled and saw smoke, went to investigate and discovered the victim “fully engulfed in flames,” Tisch said.
Officers, along with a Metropolitan Transportation Authority employee, were able to extinguish the fire, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The victim had not been identified. Police said video appears to show the suspect sat on a nearby bench and watched officers douse the flames before fleeing the scene.
‘A very clear, detailed look’
Tisch said surveillance cameras on the subway train and body cameras on the responding officers caught “a very clear, detailed look” of the suspect. Footage showed the suspect “calmly” approaching the victim, who was at the end of the subway train, according to Tisch. Police initially believed the victim was sleeping at the time of the attack but later said it was uncertain whether she was asleep. It was not clear whether the suspect knew the victim.
The suspect was taken into custody after three high school students called 911 to report that they saw a man wearing the same clothes as the suspect’s description − gray hoodie, distinct wool hat, paint-splattered pants and tan boots − on another moving train, Tisch said. The person of interest, who Tisch said was found with a lighter in his pocket, emigrated from Guatemala to the United States in 2018.
“I want to thank the young people who called 911 to help,” Tisch said. “They saw something, and they said something and they did something.”
Officials say New York City transit is safe
Earlier this month, a jury acquitted Daniel Penny of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Jordan Neely, a homeless man who had been threatening passengers, on the city’s subway. Neely had been shouting angrily at passengers on a subway train when Penny grabbed him from behind and restrained him for several minutes.
On Wednesday, Hochul said that an additional 250 National Guard members will be deployed to New York City to bolster safety. She also announced that the MTA installed over 15,000 security cameras to ensure every subway train has a camera.
“Earlier this year, I promised to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day, and today we are continuing our efforts by putting more National Guard members on the ground and installing security cameras on every car,” Hochul said in a statement Wednesday. “By working hand-in-hand with the MTA and New York City, we are deterring crime, making it safer for all riders and restoring public confidence in the system.”
