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Illegal Migrant Arrested for Setting Sleeping Woman on Fire on NYC Subway

Dec 23, 2024, 02:04 AM

An unidentified woman died after being set on fire while sleeping on a New York City subway train in Brooklyn early Sunday morning. The incident occurred on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station. Police report that a man approached the sleeping woman, ignited her clothes using a lighter, and then sat on a bench watching as she burned. A civilian helped identify the suspect, who was later apprehended with a lighter in his pocket. The suspect, 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta, is an illegal migrant from Guatemala who is believed to have entered the U.S. unlawfully in 2018. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the attack as "one of the most depraved crimes." Authorities are investigating the incident as a homicide.