A guy was charged with murder after a woman was killed by a burning subway in New York

Sebastian Zapeta, who lit a lady on fire in a New York subway, is charged with both murder and arson.

Sebastian Zapeta has been charged by prosecutors with both murder and arson in connection with the horrific death of a lady who was set ablaze on a New York subway train.

Despite missing the brief court session, 33-year-old Zapeta was indicted on Friday.

According to the authorities, Zapeta used a lighter to light the victim’s garments and then used a shirt to fan the flames. According to police, last Sunday’s attack on a stalled train at Brooklyn’s Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue Station was unprovoked.

Officers put out the fire, but the victim, who has not been named, passed away at the site.

“One of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being” is how New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch characterized the event. She clarified that at first, the cops who responded to the fire were unaware that the suspect was still on the platform.

Tisch stated, “The suspect had remained on the scene and was sitting on a bench on the platform just outside the train car, but the officers were unaware of this.”

After leaving the scene, Zapeta was apprehended after three high school classmates recognized him in photos that the police had circulated. 

The suspect’s activities were recorded by body camera and surveillance film, and authorities found that he recognized himself in images and video evidence.

Prosecutor Ari Rottenberg said at a preliminary hearing that Zapeta told investigators he was intoxicated and could not remember the event.

According to immigration officials, Zapeta, who is originally from Guatemala, was deported from the United States in 2018 and then returned to the nation unlawfully. Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, has demanded that further arson charges be brought by federal authorities, calling the incident “a level of evil that cannot be tolerated.”

The body, whose extensive burns have delayed identification efforts, was the subject of a vigil Thursday evening. According to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, investigators are use DNA and fingerprints to verify her identification.

On January 7, Zapeta, who has been detained without bail since his arrest, is expected to appear in court again.