The man was accused of setting a woman on fire and killing her While sleeping on the subway car in New York He is in court on Friday.
Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, made his first court appearance on Tuesday and was held without bail. He has not entered an allegation.
Zapeta-Calil was arrested on Monday and charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder and first-degree arson.
Sebastian Zapeta, accused of setting fire to a woman inside a subway train in New York, appeared before the judge on December 24, 2024, in New York.
Curtis Means/AP
Around 7:30 a.m. Sunday, the unidentified victim was sleeping on an F train at the Brooklyn station when a man approached her and lit her clothes on fire with a lighter, police said.
Authorities do not believe the two knew each other and had no prior interaction, police said.
Sebastian Zapeta, accused of setting fire to a woman inside a subway train in New York, appeared before the judge on December 24, 2024, in New York.
Curtis Means/AP
The suspect left the subway car after the incident, but was captured on officers’ body cameras because the suspect stayed put, sitting on a nearby bench, according to police. These images were released when the police asked for the public’s help in identifying the man.
Three high school students recognized him and contacted police, authorities said.
Zapeta-Calil was arrested on a subway car in Manhattan’s Herald Square on Sunday afternoon. Police said he was found with a lighter in his pocket.
Zapeta-Calil, an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, according to a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He told authorities he doesn’t know what happened, but has identified himself in surveillance footage.
