A 33-year-old Guatemalan man was charged Monday with the murder and arson of a woman who set herself ablaze on a New York City subway train over the weekend and watched her die, police and federal authorities said.
Sebastian Zappetta was arrested six hours after police say he used a lighter to burn the clothes of a sleeping woman on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station in Brooklyn.
The police said that he was charged with murder and arson on Monday.
The suspect entered the US without authorization in 2018 and was deported to Guatemala a few days later. It was unclear when he re-entered illegally, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
Police said there was no prior interaction between the attacker, a Brooklyn man, and the victim, who has not been identified.
Zapeta is in custody and it was not immediately clear if he had an attorney. He was arrested Sunday afternoon on a subway train and had a lighter in his pocket, police said. He was due in court on Monday or Tuesday to face the charges.
The woman, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was put out by subway workers and police officers patrolling the station to put out the fire.
“The depravity of this horrific crime is beyond comprehension, and my office is committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. “This despicable and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman will be met with the most severe consequences.”
A statement from the Department of Homeland Security said that whenever Zappetta is released from New York custody, it will move forward with removal proceedings, which could lead to a lengthy prison sentence if he is convicted.
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