A Guatemalan migrant, who was reportedly identified as Sebastian Zapeta, was taken into custody earlier today, after being accused of setting a sleeping passenger on fire aboard an F train.
The accused is confirmed to have re-entered the United States illegally after being deported, according to the sources.
He had first crossed the Arizona border in 2018 but was quickly deported after being apprehended for illegal entry. He later re-entered the US at an unknown time, bypassing authorities, as per the New York Post. It is yet unclear how long he had been in New York.
Law enforcement sources further revealed that the man stayed in several taxpayer-funded migrant shelters across the city. In 2023, when issued a transit ticket, he provided an address of a shelter on Randall’s Island. Sources also confirmed that the suspect has no prior criminal record.
While Zapeta has been detained, authorities have yet to press formal charges, and the investigation is ongoing.
The horrifying ordeal
On Sunday morning, New York City subway became the scene of one of its most shocking crimes. At the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station, a man approached a sleeping woman on the F train and set her clothing on fire with a lighter. The victim, seated at the end of the subway car, was fully engulfed in flames within seconds.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the attack as “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit.” The woman died from the injuries, and the horrifying scene left commuters and authorities in shock.
Disturbing video footage shows the suspect observing the incident with a chillingly detached attitude as the victim burned.
The attack came during a violent 24-hour period on the subway. Earlier that day, a deadly stabbing took place during an argument on a Queens-bound 7 train, and a conductor was assaulted on a northbound D train.
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