Everything we know about the woman fatally burned on the New York City subway

Man accused of setting a woman on fire on the New York City subway and fanning the flames as she burned to death made her first court appearance Tuesday, while authorities have not yet publicly identified the victim.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, was charged with murder and arson Tuesday afternoon in a Brooklyn court, where he was remanded in custody. He did not plead guilty, and his lawyer did not speak to reporters gathered in the courthouse.

Authorities say Zapeta — who federal immigration officials say is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally — calmly approached a woman on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn on Sunday morning and set her clothes on fire.

New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Sunday described the case as “one of the most despicable crimes that one person could commit against another human being.”

Here’s the latest:

What do we know about the suspect?

Zapeta was taken into custody on Sunday, hours after police released images of the suspect in the woman’s death.

Police said three high school students called 911 after recognizing the person in the picture, and officers found him on another subway train wearing the same gray hoodie, woolly hat, paint-spattered pants and yellow boots.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Jeff Carter said Zapeta is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally after being previously deported to Guatemala in 2018. It is not clear when or where he re-entered the US, Carter said.

He was arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court on Tuesday, appearing before a judge wearing a white jumpsuit. He didn’t speak. His next court date is scheduled for Friday.

Assistant District Attorney Ari Rotenberg, during a court hearing Tuesday, argued that Zapeta set the woman’s clothes on fire and started the fire using a shirt.

Rotenberg added that Zapeta claimed during questioning that he did not know what had happened, noting that he had been consuming alcohol. However, he stated that Zapeta identified himself to the investigators in the images of the attack.

The Brooklyn address for Zapeta released by police corresponds to the service center for Samaritan Daytop Village, which provides housing and substance abuse support. The organization did not respond to a request for comment.

What do we know about the victim?

The victim has not been publicly identified as of Tuesday. An NYPD spokesman said earlier in the day that identification was still “pending at this time.” Police described her only as a woman.

Tisch said at a news conference Sunday that the victim was “in a sitting position” at the end of the train car when it was set on fire. Joseph Gulotta, head of the transit department, added that police do not believe the suspect and victim knew each other, and that they did not communicate before or during the incident.

What is the police presence like in the metro?

Police patrol the New York subways, and there is a vast network of cameras in stations and in all subway cars.

But the sheer size of the metro system – 472 stations with multiple entry points and millions of passengers every day – makes policing logistically difficult.

On Sunday, police officers were in the station, but they were patrolling on another platform. They responded after seeing and smelling smoke coming from the fire.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul earlier this year directed members of the state’s National Guard to assist with random bag checks at certain stations.

Is there crime in the subway?

Violent incidents on the subway and in stations often make people nervous, in part because many New Yorkers ride multiple times a day and often have their own experiences with uncomfortable interactions in the system.

Generally speaking, crime in the city transport system has decreased this year compared to the same period in 2023. Data compiled by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority shows a 6% drop in what the agency calls major crimes between January and November of this year and 2023.

At the same time, the number of homicides in the transit system is on the rise, with nine homicides this year through November compared to five during the same time period last year.

High-profile train incidents often attract national attention and further unsettle passengers. Daniel Pennyan Army veteran who framed a distraught subway rider was acquitted of murder this month.

“When you have these incidents, it overshadows the success and plays on the psyche of New Yorkers,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in an interview Monday on PIX 11, noting that many high-profile incidents in the transit system involve people with mental health issues.