New York Subway | Sebastián Zapeta: What is known about the Guatemalan immigrant arrested for setting fire and killing a woman

Sebastián Zapeta, a 33-year-old Guatemalan immigrant, was detained by the police in New York in relation to the horrendous murder of a woman who was burned alive inside a city subway car, a crime that shocks the United States. The victim was recorded on video while he was burning without anyone being able to help him.

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Table described the case as “one of the most depraved crimes a person could commit against another human being”.

It’s sung He was recorded by a security camera sitting on a bench outside the train car watching the woman burn. He then watched police officers and a transit worker extinguish the flames.

This is what is known about the case:

He attacked the victim while he was sleeping

On Sunday morning, according to the police, It’s sung He approached the woman without saying a word, set her clothes on fire with a lightery engulfed her in flames “in a matter of seconds”. It happened aboard an F train that was stopped in the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue stationin Brooklyn. The perpetrator of the crime was not immediately arrested.

Surveillance video from inside the car recorded that They were both the only passengers. Zapeta was sitting in front of the victim, who I was traveling asleep.

At one point, the man approached the woman and set fire to her clothes and a blanket she was wearing, CNN reported.

Then, another surveillance camera captured It’s sung get out of train and sit on a bench on the platform to watch the woman burn.

The victim has not yet been identified.

CNN also reported that apparently the woman had some mobility problems since a walker was found at the scene. He had a lot of clothes and fabrics around him, something that would have accelerated the fire, according to the police.

After the crime, the police released images of a suspicious so that citizens can help with its location.

Three high school students who saw those images called 911, as they had recognized the suspect.

That information allowed the police to find It’s sung on another subway train. The man was dressed in the same gray hooded sweatshirt, wool hat, paint-splattered pants, and tan boots that the perpetrator had. which was captured on video, the AP agency reported.

Besides, Zapeta carried a lighter in his pocketthe police said.

had been deported

Jeff Carter, spokesman for the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE), reported that Zapeta had been deported to Guatemala in 2018. But at some point he re-entered the country as undocumented.

CNN said the Border Patrol encountered It’s sung in Sonoita, Arizona, on June 1, 2018, and notified you an immediate deportation orderwhich was executed six days later.

The AP agency reported that Zapeta’s address in Brooklyn that the police disclosed coincides with a health services center. Samaritan Daytop Villagewhich provides housing and support for substance abuse cases.

Reaction of the authorities

The Brooklyn District Attorney, Eric Gonzalezissued a statement stating that “all New Yorkers deserve to feel safe on our subways and we will do everything in our power to ensure accountability in this case. “I commend the New York Police Department for their quick work in apprehending the suspect.”

The mayor of New York City, Eric Adamspraised the people who helped alert police to the suspect.

“This type of depraved behavior “It will not be allowed in our subways and we are committed to working hard to ensure there is swift justice for all victims of violent crime.”said Adams on the social network X.

The subway and insecurity

On Wednesday of last week, the governor of New York, Kathy Hochul had announced that it would strengthen the security of the subway system with 250 additional members of the National Guard. He also said that all carriages will be equipped with security cameras.

The AP agency maintained that the main difficulty in guaranteeing security in the subway is its large size, since It has 472 stations, multiple entry points and millions of passengers every day.

Regarding the incidence of criminal acts on the subway, AP reported that they have decreased this year compared to the same period in 2023. Data from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority shows a 6% drop in serious crimes between January and November 2024.

However, AP noted that murders in the subway system have increased with 10 registered until December, compared to five in 2023.