The illegal migrant accused of setting a woman on fire on a Brooklyn subway has been indicted on five counts of murder and arson.
Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, was charged with one count of first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson, the Brooklyn district attorney’s office announced Friday.
Zapeta-Calil, who has been held without bail since his arrest following the horrific incident, waived his right to appear in court on Friday.
He will be arraigned on January 7.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez emphasized his confidence in the case and in holding Zapeta-Calil accountable for his “cowardly actions.”
“These are significant numbers,” Gonzalez told reporters on Friday.
“First-degree murder carries the possibility of life in prison without parole. It is the most serious statute in New York state law and my office has great confidence in the evidence in the case and in holding Zapeta accountable for his dastardly actions.”
Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, was charged with one count of first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree murder, as well as one count of first-degree arson, the Brooklyn district attorney’s office announced Friday.
Sebastian Zapeta-Calil sits on a bench in the subway and watches the woman he set on fire burn alive. Standing in front of him is an NYPD officer who walked past him, not knowing he would be responsible for the sickening crime
Zapeta-Calil is accused of setting the woman on fire around 7:29 a.m. Sunday.
“This was intentional, and we are going to prove this in court,” Gonzalez added.
Police say the victim was sleeping when Zapeta-Calil, who was sitting across from her aboard an F train at a Coney Island station, got up, walked up to her and set her on fire.
“The suspect used what we believe was a lighter to ignite the victim’s clothing, which was completely engulfed within seconds,” Police Chief Jessica Tisch said at a news conference Sunday evening.
Officers responded to the scene after receiving a call from a woman needing help, but the woman was already on fire, authorities said in a statement.
The woman who was burned alive on a New York City subway train last week has yet to be identified, most likely because of how badly charred her remains were, a law enforcement official said. Sebastian Zapeta-Calil (photo) has been charged with murder and arson
Zapeta-Calil, who has been held without bail since his arrest following the horrific incident, waived his right to appear in court on Friday. Pictured: Detectives from the NYPD 60th Precinct walk accused firebug Zapeta-Calil out of the building
Zapeta-Calil was then captured on camera at the station sitting on a bench and watching the woman go up in flames.
Police spoke to him briefly and told him to evacuate the area immediately afterwards.
They extinguished the fire with the help of an MTA employee before the woman died from her injuries around 7:30 a.m.
Officers were later seen using a tarpaulin to cover one of the train’s windows – apparently to block the view of the gruesome scene.
Then, around 1 p.m., police were seen carrying a body bag from the train and placing it on a stretcher before transporting it to a medical examiner’s van.
“On Sunday…at approximately 7:29 a.m., an unidentified female victim was sleeping aboard a stationary ‘F’ train at the Stillwell Avenue subway station when an unknown male subject approached and set the victim on fire,” police later said in a statement .
“The individual then left the subway. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.’
Police added that the woman was found with a litany of liquor bottles, although law enforcement sources who spoke to The New York Post said investigators still don’t know if that played a role in the fire.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez emphasized his confidence in the case and in holding Zapeta-Calil accountable for his “cowardly actions.” Pictured: Sebastian Zapeta arraigned in Brooklyn Supreme Court after being arrested
No other information was available about the female victim and the suspect’s motive – if any – still remains unclear.
‘Our thoughts go out not only to this victim but we know there is a family out there, just because someone appears to have lived in this situation of homelessness does not mean there won’t be a family who will be devastated by the tragic way whereupon she lost her life. González added.
“Just because someone appears to have been living in this situation of homelessness does not mean that a family will not be devastated by the tragic way in which she lost her life,” Gonzalez said.
Chilling footage showed the moment a man in a hoodie sat on the platform at Stillwell Avenue in Coney Island and watched as the woman was engulfed in flames.
Anonymous sources have told the New York Post that Zapeta-Calil was in the country illegally after previously being deported at the Arizona border in June 2018. It is unclear how he got back to the US.