NEW YORK – A man accused of setting a woman on fire on a New York subway and then watching her die after it burst into flames is awaiting arraignment Tuesday.

33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta is charged with murder and arson in the woman’s death.

Federal immigration officials said Zapeta is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally after being deported back in 2018.

The apparently random attack occurred Sunday morning on a stationary F train at Coney Island station in Brooklyn, police said.

According to authorities, Zapeta approached the woman, who was sitting motionless in the train car and possibly sleeping, and set her clothing on fire with a lighter. The woman quickly became engulfed in flames, while Zapeta then sat on a bench on the subway platform and watched as police officers and a public transit worker extinguished the fire, police said.

The woman, whose identity has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Zapeta was arrested on Sunday afternoon while riding the train on the same subway line after police received a tip from some teenagers who recognized him from pictures circulated by police.

It was unclear whether Zapeta has an attorney. A Brooklyn address for Zapeta released by police matches a shelter that provides shelter and substance abuse support. The animal shelter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a statement, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez called the attack a “cruel and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman” that would have “serious consequences.”

The crime — and a graphic video of it that caused a stir on social media — added to growing unease among New Yorkers about the safety of the subway system.

Violent crime on trains in the city can make passengers nervous, in part because most New Yorkers ride the subway several times a day and often have their own experiences with unpleasant interactions in the system.

Monitoring the subway is also difficult because the vast network of trains runs constantly between the system’s 472 stations, and each stop has multiple entry points and, in many stations, multiple floors and platforms. On Sunday, police patrolled another area where the woman burned and responded after seeing and smelling smoke, authorities said.

Overall, authorities say crime in the transit system is down this year compared to last year.

Major crimes fell 6% between January and November of this year and in 2023, according to data from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. But the number of murders is increasing: nine murders have been committed this year through November, compared with five in the same period last year.

At the same time, high-profile train incidents — like the case of Daniel Penny, a military veteran who choked an agitated New York City subway rider and was acquitted of murder this month — often draw national attention and further frighten passengers.

———-

* Get eyewitness news

* More news from New York City

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts

* Follow us on YouTube

Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News

Do you have a breaking news tip or idea for a story we should cover? Submit it to Eyewitness News using the form below. The terms of use apply to attaching a video or photo.