A suspect has been arrested and charged with murder and arson after allegedly setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway car.
A man in New York City is facing murder and arson charges for allegedly setting a woman on fire inside a subway train over the weekend and then watching her die. Authorities have identified the suspect as 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta-Calil. According to police, the victim, as well as the suspect, were both riding the F train Dec. 22, 2024, just before 7:30 a.m. to the Stillwell Avenue Subway station in Coney Island. Police do not believe the two knew one another.
When the train stopped at the end of the line, police said the suspect calmly walked up to the seated woman and set her on fire with his lighter. The woman's clothing then 'became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds,' NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a Sunday press conference. 'Officers who were on patrol on an upper level of that station smelled and saw smoke and went to investigate. What they saw was a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames,' Tisch said. The woman, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene. Unbeknownst to the officers, the suspect had remained at the scene and was seated on a bench on the subway platform, just outside the train car, Tisch said. Body cameras worn by the officers caught a 'very clear, detailed look' at the suspect and those images were publicly disseminated. Three high school students later recognized him and called 911, and the suspect was arrested on another subway train. The suspect had a lighter in his pocket when he was taken into custody, Tisch said. Authorities have identified the suspect as 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta-Calil. Zapeta, 33, is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally after he had been previously removed in 2018, said Jeff Carter, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
SUBWAY FIRE MURDER ARSON NEW YORK CITY SUSPECT ARRESTED SEBASTIAN ZAPETA-CALIL
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ogden man arrested after dousing woman in gasoline, setting her on fireAn Ogden man is in jail after police say he doused a woman in gasoline and then set her on fire early Friday morning.
Read more »
Ogden man arrested, accused of throwing gasoline on woman and setting her on fireAn Ogden man was arrested Friday and accused of throwing gasoline on a housemate and setting her on fire.
Read more »
Man arrested after setting woman on fire on New York subway trainSleeping woman killed in attack, suspect arrested hours later after tipoff from teens.
Read more »
Man Arrested for Allegedly Setting Woman Ablaze on Brooklyn F TrainPolice have apprehended a man suspected of setting a woman on fire while she slept on a Brooklyn F train, resulting in her death. The suspect, identified as Zapeta-Calil, was spotted by teenagers and taken into custody. Authorities confirmed he was previously deported from the U.S. but illegally re-entered. The victim remains unidentified.
Read more »
Guatemalan Man Arrested for Setting Sleeping Woman on Fire in Brooklyn SubwayA Guatemalan man, who had previously been deported, is accused of murdering a woman by setting her on fire on a subway train in Brooklyn.
Read more »
Person of interest arrested for setting sleeping woman on fire on NYC subwayThe woman was discovered around 7:30 a.m. on an F train in Coney Island at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station, according to the NYPD.
Read more »