Warning: This article contains distressing content, please proceed with caution
The man accused of setting a woman on fire on an NYC subway is expected to make an appearance in front of a judge on Friday for his court hearing.
Sebastian Zapeta has been arrested and charged with two counts of murder and a charge of arson after allegedly attacking an unidentified sleeping woman on the subway, setting her alight and then fanning the flames as she burned to death. At present, it’s unclear whether there was any sort of motive for this vicious attack or whether it was a completely random and senseless killing.
The 33-year-old had his initial court hearing on Tuesday, December 24th, although he was not required to enter a plea at the time. Right now, very few details about the case have been shared publicly, but that could soon change with this new court hearing.
What do we know about the alleged attack?
The horrific incident occurred on Sunday morning, December 22. At the time of writing, the name of the deceased individual is yet to be made public – so far police have only referred to the victim as a woman. NYPD transit chief Joseph Gulotta stated that it is not believed that the attacker and victim knew each other. Police also speculated that she may have been asleep on the train at the Coney Island station stop when Zapeta approached her and used a lighter to set her clothes on fire.
After the attack, the suspect then sat down on a bench on the platform and watched the victim burn. Zapeta was later arrested by police after photos of the suspect were disseminated. Three high schoolers called 911 after recognizing Zapeta from the photos being shared. He was caught by police riding a train on the same line later in the day.
What do we know about Sebastian Zapeta?
According to an article from APNews, Zapeta told investigators that he drank a lot of liquor and was unaware of what had happened. However, he did confirm that it was him in photos and video surveillance footage which captured the incident.
The alleged killer is a Guatemalan who was deported back in 2018 according to immigration officials. However, he illegally returned to the U.S. sometime after (although it’s not clear when exactly). Zapeta’s alleged actions have led to an outcry of anger from Republican figures seeking to use the incident as ammunition against the Biden administration and its immigration policies.
The address for Zapeta’s residence has been released by police, and it matches the address for a shelter for individuals struggling with substance abuse.
Besides the horrific nature of Zapeta’s alleged crime, the incident drew confusion and shock from the public for the apparent lack of concern from those who had been riding the NYC subway that morning and witnessed it. In appalling images, people can be seen recording the woman or simply walking by her as she burned to death. This seemingly nonchalant reaction fostered discourse online about the dissemination of violent images and the consequential desensitization of society to violence itself, as well as an increasing lack of empathy in urban areas.