Man charged with murder, arson in New York subway

Prosecutors have formally charged a man in the death of a woman who was set on fire on a New York subway train.

On Friday, Sebastian Zapetta was arraigned on murder and arson charges, although he did not appear during the brief court hearing.

Mr Zapetta, 33, is accused of setting fire to the woman, who may have fallen asleep on the train, and fanning the flames with a shirt. The victim has not been identified.

The suspect was held without bond from his arrest shortly after the incident.

The BBC has contacted Mr Sapetta’s lawyer for comment.

Police say the woman was sitting on a stopped train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn on Sunday morning when she was approached by a man who used a lighter to set her clothes on fire.

There was no interaction between the pair prior to the attack and police believe they did not know each other.

The police extinguished the fire, but the woman died on the spot.

The man got off the train as officers on patrol at the station rushed to the fire, but he did not run away immediately and his face was caught on officers’ cameras.

At a news conference earlier this week, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the incident as “one of the most depraved crimes that one person can commit against another human being.”

“Unbeknownst to the responding officers, the suspect remained in place and sat on a bench on the platform directly in front of the carriage,” Ms Tisch said.

The suspect then left the scene, and authorities say three high school students later recognized him in images released by police.

Mr Sapeta, who is originally from Guatemala, was deported from the US in 2018. and later re-entered the country illegally, immigration officials said.

In a preliminary hearing Tuesday, prosecutor Ari Rothenberg said Mr. Sapetta told investigators he had been drinking and did not remember the incident, but he identified himself in photographs and video footage showing the fire being set.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams urged federal authorities to also charge Mr. Zappetta with arson in addition to the state charges he currently faces. In a statement, the mayor said: “Setting another human being on fire and watching them burn alive reflects a level of evil that cannot be tolerated.”

A vigil was held Thursday night for the victim, who was burned so badly that police had difficulty identifying her.

False and unverified information about her, including a fake AI-generated photo, is circulating online. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez told reporters Friday that authorities were still working to identify the woman through fingerprints and DNA.

Mr Sapetta is due back in court on January 7, prosecutors said.