An illegal immigrant from Guatemala was arrested in Brooklyn on Sunday after savagely setting a female subway passenger on fire and watching her burn to death—an act of depravity that came just hours before New York Governor Cathy Hochul boasted about her efforts to make the New York City subway system safer.
Video of the shocking murder went viral on Sunday evening, showing the unidentified victim engulfed in flames on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station. According to eyewitnesses, the suspect, identified as 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, calmly approached the woman, who had fallen asleep in her seat, and appeared to use a lighter to set her clothes on fire. Her entire body ignited in a matter of seconds, investigators say, and though law enforcement at the scene were able to put out the fire, the victim died at the scene.
Unbeknownst to first responders, Zapeta-Calil had remained at the scene, watching his victim’s excruciating death from a nearby bench on the subway platform. Police body camera footage caught a “very clear, detailed look” at his face, which led to him being apprehended in a Manhattan subway car later that day. He was reportedly identified by three high school students who saw him enter the Jay and York Street station on the F line, according to NYPD Transit Chief Joseph Gulotta.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the case as “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being” and said there are no indications that the killer knew his victim.
Zapeta-Calil has been charged with first- and second-degree murder as well as arson. Marie Ferguson, a spokesperson for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, further confirmed that the suspect was previously deported under the Trump administration in 2018, then reentered the country at an unknown point under the Biden administration.
Mere hours after the attack, Governor Hochul made a social media post celebrating how her administration has spearheaded efforts to drive down crime in New York’s subway system.
“In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day,” she wrote. “Since deploying the [New York National Guard] to support [the NYPD] and [the MTA’s] safety efforts and adding cameras to all subway cars, crime is going down, and ridership is going up.”
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
Critics quickly pointed out that the brutal murder that very morning, as well as a separate stabbing incident in Queens the previous day that left one man dead and another severely injured, completely disproved the governor’s point.
“Two hours ago, Kathy Hochul took a victory lap for making subways ‘safer.’ She congratulates herself on the same day two subway riders were stabbed in Queens (one in the face and one in the chest) and another was barbarically burned alive,” responded Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY). “Has there ever been a more tone-deaf Governor in the history of New York?”
Two hours ago, Kathy Hochul took a victory lap for making subways “safer.” She congratulates herself on the same day two subway riders were stabbed in Queens (one in the face and one in the chest) and another was barbarically burned alive.
Has there ever been a more tone-deaf… pic.twitter.com/KIPujqpKa3
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) December 22, 2024
Connor Walcott is the lead writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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