Court records and official announcements from the Brooklyn criminal court

Guatemalan Migrant, 33, Charged with Murder and Arson for Setting Woman on Fire on Coney Island F Train in NYC on December 22

Dec 24, 2024, 03:00 AM

Sebastian Zapeta, a 33-year-old Guatemalan migrant, has been arrested and charged with murder and arson for allegedly setting a sleeping woman on fire inside a Brooklyn subway train on December 22, 2024. Police reports indicate that Zapeta lit the woman's clothing on fire and watched as she burned to death. Authorities revealed that Zapeta entered the U.S. illegally in 2018, was previously deported, and re-entered the country at an unknown time. Eyewitnesses reportedly observed the incident, and Zapeta was apprehended shortly after. He is currently awaiting arraignment in Brooklyn criminal court, facing charges of first and second-degree murder as well as arson. The victim's identity has not yet been disclosed.