Sebastian Zapeta: An arrest has been made for a Guatemalan immigrant who is accused of burning a woman alive on a Brooklyn, New York, tube train early on Sunday morning. Around 7:30 a.m., the event took place at the Stillwell Avenue Subway station in Coney Island.
It is thought that the suspect, Sebastian Zapeta, 33, came to the United States from Guatemala around a year ago. Whether he entered the nation lawfully or illegally is still unknown.
New York Police Department (NYPD) officials, including Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, gave an explanation at a press conference on Sunday night, saying, “The suspect calmly walked up to the victim as the train pulled into the station.” The victim, a woman, was sitting down.
“The victim’s clothing was completely engulfed in flames in a matter of seconds after the suspect ignited it with what we believe to be a lighter.”
The smell and sight of smoke alerted the station’s patrolling officers to the issue. As they arrived on the scene, they found a person completely consumed in flames inside the train car. An MTA employee assisted in putting out the fire by using a fire extinguisher. At the scene, the victim was declared dead.
Elon Musk and Mayor Eric Adams condemns the subway attack
Following the event, Zapeta stayed on the site. Outside the train vehicle, he was discovered sitting on a bench. Clear footage of the suspect was caught by responding police’ body-worn cameras. “The responding officers’ body-worn cameras provided a clear and detailed look at the killer,” Tisch said.
Three high school pupils identified the man and dialled 911 after the suspect’s photos and description were made public. The suspect was found on a moving train by transit officials who verified the description. At the next station, the train was stopped, and officers got on board, recognised the individual, and took him into custody without any additional problems.
In his sympathies to the victim’s family, New York City Mayor Eric Adams described the attack as a “senseless killing.”
We are appreciative of the young New Yorkers and transit officers who volunteered to assist our NYPD in making a prompt arrest in the wake of the horrific and fatal train attack this morning. Our subways cannot tolerate this kind of vile behaviour, and we are determined to do everything in our power to bring prompt justice to all victims of violent crime.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk also vented his dissatisfaction on X, formerly Twitter. He shared the Guatemalan migrant’s CCTV footage from the tube with the caption, “Enough is enough.”