Guatemalan Migrant Charged with Murder and Arson for Setting Woman on Fire on F Train at Coney Island

Dec 24, 2024, 12:00 PM

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, a 33-year-old Guatemalan migrant, has been charged with first-degree murder and arson after allegedly setting a woman on fire on a New York City subway train. The incident occurred on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn around 7:30 a.m. on Sunday. Zapeta-Calil reportedly approached the sleeping woman, set her clothing on fire, and then sat on a bench on the platform to watch her burn to death. The woman, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene due to a combination of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries. Zapeta-Calil was apprehended later that day at the Herald Square station after being recognized by teenagers from police-released images. He was previously deported in 2018 but reentered the U.S. illegally. Zapeta-Calil has been living in a shelter in East New York, where a roommate described him as a heavy drinker and daily user of the synthetic drug K2. He claimed to be intoxicated and unable to remember the incident when questioned by police.