Suspect charged in New York subway fire killing appears in court

A suspect accused of killing a woman by setting her on fire on a subway train appeared in a New York court Tuesday to face murder charges.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, was charged with first and second degree murder, as well as arson on Monday in the attack.

Wearing a white jumpsuit over a black hooded sweatshirt, Mr Zapeta did not speak when he was formally charged in court on Tuesday, according to local outlet Fox 5 New York.

The suspect will remain in custody until his next court appearance on Friday, according to the outlet.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described Sunday's incident as "one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being".

She said the woman was on a stationary F train in Brooklyn when she was approached by a man who used a lighter to ignite her clothing - which became "fully engulfed in a matter of seconds". Although officers extinguished the flames, the victim died at the scene.

Officers said the woman, who they have not named, was in a subway carriage at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station at about 07:30 local time (12:30 GMT) when the man approached her.

The victim was "motionless" when she was set on fire, but detectives were still establishing whether or not she was asleep. "We're not 100% sure," said the NYPD's Joseph Gulotta.

There was no interaction between the pair before the attack, Mr Gulotta said, adding that police did not believe they knew each other.

Describing how police were alerted to the incident, Ms Tisch said: "Officers were on patrol on an upper level of that station, smelled and saw smoke and went to investigate".

"What they saw was a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames."

An immigration official said that Mr Zapeta entered the US illegally in 2018 and was detained and deported. The official said he subsequently unlawfully re-entered the US.

The man got off the train as police officers on patrol in the station rushed to the fire, but he did not flee immediately.

"Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car," Ms Tisch said.

She explained that police were therefore able to obtain "very clear, detailed" pictures of him from the responding officers' body worn cameras. The images were circulated by the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Later, three high school-aged New Yorkers called 911 to report they had recognised the suspect on another subway train, Ms Tisch told reporters.

The man was located after officers boarded the train and walked through the carriages.

He was arrested at Herald Square station - which is located near the Empire State Building in Manhattan. He was found with a lighter in his pocket, Ms Tisch said.

"I want to thank the young people who called 911 to help," Ms Tisch added. "They saw something, they said something and they did something."