New York, U.S. – The Identity of the man suspected to have lit up a woman on fire on New York City subway has been revealed as Sebastian Zapeta.
Investigators say the man sitting across from the woman who was sleeping, got up and threw a match on her as he walked by, before fleeing the station.
The woman was found by police engulfed in flames on the F train at Coney Island-Stillwell Ave station.
The viral video of the incident showed the man apparently sat on a bench and watched his victim burn.
Police, who clearly had no clue what was going on, reportedly told the man who is believed to be Zapeta to leave the area, allowing him to get away.
The suspect was later noticed by a civilian on a subway in Manhattan, according to Collin Rugg.
Zapeta, however, is yet been charged.
Remarking shortly after the incident, New York Governor Kathy Hochul pats herself on the back on X for making New York City subways “safer.”
“Crime is going down, and ridership is going up,” says Hochul.
In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day.
Since deploying the @NationalGuardNY to support @NYPDnews and @MTA safety efforts and adding cameras to all subway cars, crime is going down, and ridership is going up. pic.twitter.com/T7uRxx9nIO
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) December 22, 2024
Below is everything that has happened in NYC subways in the past week:
• Guatemalan “migrant” suspected of lighting a sleeping woman on fire (she’s deceased)
• 69-year-old man killed after being stabbed in the chest in a Queens subway. Another was stabbed in the face.
• 32-year-old randomly stabbed in the chest by a maniac on the train and sent to the hospital needing to get stitches.
• 17-year-old girl knifed in the face inside the 161st Street-Yankee Stadium subway.
• 72-year-old man pushed on the subway tracks in a random attack after participating in the MTA’s annual Holiday Nostalgia Riders event, suffering lacerations to the back of his head. He needs spinal surgery.