Previously Deported Man Charged with Murder After Woman Set on Fire on Brooklyn Subway

Dec 24, 2024, 12:08 AM

A woman was killed after being set on fire aboard a New York City subway train on Sunday morning. The incident occurred around 7:30 a.m. on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn. The woman, whose identity has not been released, was reportedly asleep when a man approached and ignited her clothing using a lighter or match. Liquor bottles were found near the victim. Surveillance video allegedly showed the suspect watching as she burned. The suspect then fled the scene. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Police apprehended a person of interest later identified as 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta. Zapeta was charged with first- and second-degree murder and arson. Authorities stated that Zapeta is a Guatemalan citizen who had previously been deported from the United States in 2018 and had re-entered the country illegally.