Sebastian Zapeta, the Guatemalan man accused of setting fire to a sleeping subway passenger and watching her burn on a Brooklyn Subway car, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder and arson.
The 33-year-old was charged with one count of first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree murder and arson.
Zapeta listened through an interpreter and did not speak during the four-minute hearing. His attorney ultimately said his client required medical attention, but additional details were not immediately available.
Authorities say Zapeta entered the US illegally in 2018. He was deported and returned to the country at an unknown time.
NYPD ARRESTS Migrant who allegedly set woman on fire on subway and watched her burn to death
Sebastian Zapeta will be arraigned on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 in Brooklyn, New York. Zapeta is charged with murder and arson for allegedly setting Debrina Kawam on fire while she slept on a New York City subway train. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
He went to New York and on December 22, allegedly set the woman on fire while she slept on a subway bench.
Surveillance footage shows the man allegedly setting a woman on fire on a Brooklyn subway while she slept on December 22, 2024. (NYPD)
The victim has been identified as Debrina Kawam, a 57-year-old from Toms River, New Jersey. She was so badly burned that it took more than a week to identify her remains.
Sebastian Zapeta will be arraigned on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 in Brooklyn, New York. Zapeta is charged with murder and arson for allegedly setting Debrina Kawam on fire while she slept on a New York City subway train. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
Mayor Eric Adams, a former Captain of the NYPDsaid the surveillance video of the attack was so distorted that he could not watch it.
Kawam sat alone, presumably asleep, on a stopped F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn.
WOMAN BURNED IN MAJOR SUBWAY ATTACK IDENTIFIED
Sebastian Zapeta will be arraigned on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 in Brooklyn, New York. Zapeta is charged with murder and arson for allegedly setting Debrina Kawam on fire while she slept on a New York City subway train. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
“As the train entered the station, the suspect calmly walked toward the victim,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters at a news briefing. “The suspect used what we believe was a lighter to ignite the victim’s clothing, which was completely engulfed within seconds.”
Sebastian Zapeta, accused of setting a woman on fire on a New York City subway train, will appear in court in New York on Tuesday, December 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Curtis means via pool)
Then the man walked from the car to a nearby waiting bench, sat down and watched as help arrived. The responding officers were already in the station and a transit employee grabbed a fire extinguisher. The suspect even appeared on bodycam video, Tisch said.
The suspect was arrested after three teenagers riding on another subway recognized him from a wanted poster and called 911. At the next stop he was taken into custody.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Police officers patrol the F train platform at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue Station, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024, in New York. (AP)
Zapeta faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.
The NYPD on Monday released its year-end crime statistics for 2024, touting an overall decline in crime and an increase in the number of arrests. However, homicide rates in the subway system have doubled compared to 2023.
Zapeta is due back in court on March 12.
Greg Wehner and Michael Dorgan of Fox News contributed to this report.
