Official announcements from New York City government or Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)

Deported Guatemalan Migrant, 33, Arrested for Burning Woman Alive on Brooklyn Subway

Dec 23, 2024, 01:59 PM

A 33-year-old man from Guatemala has been arrested after allegedly setting a sleeping woman on fire on a New York City subway train, resulting in her death. The incident occurred around 7:30 a.m. on Sunday at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn, where the woman was asleep on a stopped F train. The suspect, identified as Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, allegedly used a lighter to ignite the woman's clothing and then watched as she burned, even fanning the flames. Police described the act as 'one of the most depraved crimes' possible. Zapeta-Calil had been deported under the Trump administration in 2018 but re-entered the United States illegally at a later date, reportedly staying in New York City's taxpayer-funded migrant shelters. The victim's identity has not yet been disclosed, and investigations into the motive are ongoing.