NYPD arrests migrant who allegedly set woman on fire on subway train, watched her burn to death

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A migrant from Guatemala was arrested in connection to the heinous death of a woman who was lit on fire and burned to death on a subway train in Brooklyn, New York, on Sunday.

Sources identified the person of interest to Fox News Digital as 33-year-old Sebastin Zapeta, saying he entered the U.S. from Guatemala approximately a year ago, but whether he did so legally or illegally was unclear.

Fox News Digital has reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for more information on Zapeta.

New York Police Department (NYPD) officials said no charges had been filed in the case during a Sunday evening press conference.

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Police released this image of a person of interest after a woman was savagely lit on fire and burned to death on a subway train in Brooklyn, New York. (NYPD)

The NYPD said the killing happened at the Stillwell Avenue Subway station in Coney Island at about 7:30 a.m.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, during a press conference on Sunday evening, provided more insight into the heinous act.

“As the train pulled into the station, the suspect calmly walked up to the victim,” she said, explaining that the female victim was in a seated position. “The suspect used what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the victim’s clothing, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds.”

Officers were on patrol at the station when they smelled and saw smoke, prompting them to investigate the situation.

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A person of interest was arrested after a woman was burned alive on a New York City subway train. (NYPD)

When they arrived, Tisch noted, the officers saw a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames. The flames were ultimately put out with the help of an MTA employee and a fire extinguisher. The victim was pronounced dead, the commissioner said.

Tisch also said the person of interest stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car.

Body-worn cameras on the responding officers produced a clear and detailed look “at the killer,” Tisch said.

After sharing a description and pictures of the suspect with the public, three high school-aged New Yorkers called 911 to report that they recognized the suspect. Transit officers responded to speak with the high schoolers and also saw a man matching the description provided to the public, on another moving train.

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Police said the man and woman had no interaction before he threw a lighter on her, causing her to go up in flames within seconds.  (NYPD)

The train was ordered to stop at the next station, where two transit officers boarded the train and located the person of interest before arresting him without further incident. Tisch added that the person of interest was found with a lighter in his pocket.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said his prayers are with the family of the victim in “this senseless killing.”

“Grateful to the young New Yorkers and transit officers who stepped up to help our NYPD make a quick arrest following this morning’s heinous and deadly subway attack,” Adams wrote. “This type of depraved behavior has no place in our subways and we are committed to working hard to ensure there is swift justice for all victims of violent crime.”

The incident left people shocked just days before Christmas.

According to the New York Post, an MTA worker said it looked like the woman’s clothes were completely “burnt off.”

“I was just walking by. The police was there already. I didn’t see her in flames but that’s what I heard. It was out. They shut the lights off [in the car] so nobody could see,” the worker told the Post.

Another person was nearby as police processed the scene and the woman’s body was already extinguished.

“That s–t is crazy – it’s only three days until Christmas,” he told the Post. “That’s messed up.” 

Police encourage anyone with information about the incident to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

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Tips can also be submitted by going to crimestoppers.nypdonline.org.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.