Officials from the NYPD stated that a man stood by as a woman died engulfed in flames on a subway train.
A migrant worker from Guatemala has been arrested in connection with the horrifying death of a woman who was set 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.
While police have not officially identified the person of interest, a high-ranking NYPD source told Fox News Digital that the individual entered the U.S. illegally from Guatemala in 2018, during President Donald Trump’s first term. The person of interest has no prior arrests in New York but does have one arrest in Arizona, although details of that arrest remain unavailable.
Fox News Digital has contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for more information regarding Zapeta.
NYPD officials stated that no charges had been filed as of Sunday evening during a press conference.
The NYPD reported that the murder occurred at the Stillwell Avenue subway station on Coney Island around 7:30 a.m.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch provided further details about the crime during the press conference.
“As the train pulled into the station, the suspect calmly approached the victim,” Tisch said, explaining that the victim was seated. “The suspect used what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the victim’s clothing, which became fully engulfed in flames within seconds.”
Officers on patrol at the station detected the smell of smoke and saw it, prompting them to investigate.
When they arrived, Tisch noted, officers found an individual inside the subway car completely engulfed in flames. The fire was eventually extinguished with assistance from an MTA employee and a fire extinguisher. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, the commissioner stated.
Tisch also revealed that the person of interest remained at the scene, sitting on a bench on the platform directly in front of the subway car.
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Body cameras worn by officers captured clear and detailed footage of the “killer,” Tisch said.
After the suspect’s description and images were shared with the public, three young New Yorkers called 911 to report recognizing the suspect. Transit police officers responded and spoke with the high school students, while also spotting a man matching the description on another train.
The train was stopped at the next station, where two transit officers boarded and located the person of interest, arresting him without further incident. Tisch added that the individual was found with a lighter in his pocket.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams expressed his condolences to the victim’s family following “this senseless murder.”
“I am grateful to the young New Yorkers and transit police officers who helped the NYPD quickly apprehend the suspect after this horrific and deadly subway attack,” Adams wrote. “This kind of depraved behavior has no place in our subways, and we are committed to working tirelessly to ensure swift justice for all victims of violent crime.”
The incident has shocked residents just days before Christmas.
According to a report from the New York Post, an MTA worker described the woman’s clothing as appearing completely “burned.”
“I passed by. Police were already there. I didn’t see her in flames, but that’s what I heard. The fire was out. They turned off the lights [in the car] so no one could see,” the worker told the Post.
Another individual who was near the scene as officers processed it said the woman’s body had already been extinguished.
“It’s crazy—just three days before Christmas,” they told the Post. “It’s horrible.”
Police are urging anyone with information about the incident to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, in Spanish, at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
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Source: Fox News, Photo: NYPD