Sebastian Zapeta-Calil Accused of Fanning The Flames in NYC Subway Murder

What’s New?

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, who is accused of killing a woman by setting her on fire on the New York City subway over the weekend, “fanned the flames” until she was engulfed in the blaze, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Why It Matters

Zapeta-Calil’s status as an undocumented immigrant swiftly became the focus of coverage of the horrific attack. Zapeta-Calil, 33, was deported from the U.S. in 2018 but reentered the country on an unknown date.

The suspect’s immigration status renewed criticisms of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, while President-elect Donald Trump, meanwhile, made illegal immigration and border security a central tenet of his 2024 election campaign.

Among other things, Trump has pledged to initiate mass deportations on the first day he takes office. The president-elect has not yet publicly commented on the subway killing.

What To Know

Zapeta-Calil is charged with first and second degree murder and arson for the incident, which happened on an F train in Brooklyn on Sunday.

Police are still working to identify the victim. A criminal complaint lists her manner of death as “homicide” and the causes as “thermal injuries and smoke inhalation.”

During Zapeta-Calil’s arraignment Tuesday, the court heard how he had quietly approached the victim, who was sleeping, and lit her clothing on fire.

Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg said Zapeta-Calil then used his shirt to fan the flames, causing the fire to engulf her “in a matter of seconds,” Fox 5 New York reported.

Surveillance footage showed the suspect calmly leaving the train, sitting on a platform bench and watching the victim burn to death, according to prosecutors.

Zapeta-Calil’s lawyer did not speak to reporters after the arraignment. Newsweek reached out to him for comment via email on Tuesday evening.

Zapeta-Calil was arrested after high schoolers recognized him on another F train later that same day, from surveillance photos released by the New York Police Department, and called 911.

Rottenberg said Zapeta-Calil claimed to have no memory of the incident, telling police he drinks alcohol. But he added that the 33-year-old had identified himself as the suspect in the surveillance images of the attack.

Zapeta-Calil said his last known address was an outpatient treatment program for substance abuse and mental health issues called Samaritan Daytop Village in Brooklyn.

Investigators are attempting to identify the victim using dental records. Multiple reports have said she was homeless, but police have not yet confirmed that.

CNN reported that the victim may have had mobility issues, noting she had a walker nearby. She was also wearing multiple layers of clothing, which may have accelerated the fire’s spread.

Meanwhile, people have expressed shock and outrage at video surveillance footage of the incident, which shows bystanders and at least one uniformed NYPD officer appearing to casually walk by or mill about rather than try to help the victim as she was engulfed in flames.

What People Are Saying

Gerald Posner, a journalist known for his investigations into the JFK assassination, told Newsweek of the video footage: “I could imagine if you didn’t want to be the person who wanted to rush in and try to help them, because you’re afraid you’re going to catch on fire, you don’t know what’s going on—I get that.

“But the idea, then, of just not running to get the cops, as opposed to just sort of looking out at the phone and filming it… It did make me think back to that 1964 murder.”

NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch condemned the killing: It was “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being.”

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement: “This gruesome and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman will be met with the most serious consequences. Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe on our subways, and we will do everything in our power to ensure accountability in this case.”