Man Who Allegedly Set Sleeping Woman on Fire on NYC Subway Says He Doesn't Recall the Incident
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12/24/2024 06:47 PM
Sebastian Zapeta-Calil was arraigned Tuesday for first and second-degree murder charges as well as arson
Theodore Parisienne/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty
Sebastian Zapeta, suspected of burning a woman to death on a train, is taken from the New York Police Department 60th Precinct in BrooklynA man who allegedly killed a woman after setting her on fire on a New York City subway told police he "doesn't know what happened," NBC News reports.
Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, allegedly used a lighter to start the fatal fire on Sunday, Dec. 22. When the victim, who has not been identified, was consumed in the blaze, Zapeta-Calil allegedly began "fanning the flames with a shirt," a prosecutor alleged during his arraignment in Brooklyn on Tuesday, Dec. 24.
Surveillance footage showed the victim sleeping on an immobile F train at Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue Station around 7:30 a.m. Zapeta-Calil, who was sitting across from her, then allegedly set her and the blanket she was underneath on fire, CNN reported, citing a complaint from the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.
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The prosecutor added that Zapeta-Calil told police after the incident that "he drinks a lot of liquor" and "doesn't know what happened."
Zapeta-Calil and the victim were the only two in the car. He allegedly left the train and sat on a nearby bench and looked on as the woman continued to burn, footage showed. Sources suggested that she was unconscious the entire time, CNN reported.
A walker was discovered close to the scene, indicating that the woman had trouble getting around on her own. She was wearing several layers of clothing, and officials believe that's what caused the fire to spread. The woman is over 18, and a law enforcement official informed The New York Times that she appeared to be homeless.
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Zapeta-Calil was arrested after three high school students recognized his face when surveillance footage and pictures were released to the public. He was later found at a Herald Square train with a lighter in his pocket, NYPD Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta said, per CNN.
The New York City Office of the Medical Examiner ruled the woman's death a homicide, noting that she died of "thermal injuries and smoke inhalation," NBC News reports, citing court papers.
During his court appearance, he was charged with first- and second-degree murder as well as arson, according to court docs. He pleaded not guilty to all of the charges and was remanded to custody without bail.
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Zapeta-Calil, who was seemingly wearing the same hazmat suit he wore when being escorted out of a local police station, is due back in court on Friday, Dec. 27, at 9 a.m. local time. NYPD previously told PEOPLE is an "unlawfully present Guatemalan citizen" who had been deported in 2018.
PEOPLE reached out to the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office and New York City's Office of Chief Medical Examiner.
