NEW YORK – The man accused of setting a woman on fire aboard a Brooklyn subway must appear in court again on Friday.
Investigators say the unidentified victim was asleep when Sebastian Zapeta, 33, used a lighter to set her clothes on fire. According to the criminal complaint Zapeta used a shirt to fan the flames.
Zapeta is charged with first-degree murder and arson. However, Mayor Eric Adams’ office is pushing for federal charges to be added against Zapeta.
“Setting another human being on fire and watching him burn alive reflects a level of evil that cannot be tolerated,” Adams’ office said in a statement.
Zapeta is a Guatemalan citizen who federal officials say entered the U.S. illegally, was deported, and then returned to the U.S. illegally.
Unidentified victim honored at vigil
Authorities still have not identified the murdered woman.
Thursday, community leaders gathered on the F train platform at the Stillwell station in Coney Island to pray for her. They called her death a systemic failure.
“Her life mattered. Thank God they caught the person who did this. But it’s not just the person’s fault. It’s the system’s fault. The system failed,” said Pastor Kevin McCall. “Homeless lives matter. She was so burned that the police couldn’t even identify who she is.”
