What is known about the woman who was set on fire in the subway in New York?

• Woman Set on Fire in NY Subway
• Vigil to Honor Victim
• Guatemalan Suspect Arrested for the Crime

The brutal attack that took place last weekend in the New York subway, where a woman was set on fire while sleeping, has shocked the entire country.

This Thursday, a vigil will be held at the Stillwell Avenue station in Coney Island to honor the memory of the victim.

Community leaders are organizing the event as a show of solidarity and condemnation of what the police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, has described as a «depraved» crime.

The suspect, Sebastián Zapeta, a 33-year-old Guatemalan national, was arrested and is facing charges of murder and arson.

The Terrible Case of the Woman Set on Fire in the Subway

According to authorities, Zapeta calmly approached the woman on a stopped train and set her clothes on fire without any prior warning or interaction.

The New York Police Department confirmed that there is no evidence the suspect and the victim knew each other.

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«This was an act of pure cruelty,» said Joseph Gulotta, the department’s transit chief.

Zapeta had been deported to Guatemala in 2018 and re-entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown time.

He was presented before a judge in Brooklyn last Tuesday. During the hearing, he remained silent and did not plead guilty.

This Thursday’s vigil will provide an opportunity for the community to express their support and condemnation of a crime that has left deep scars.

It is worth noting that the victim’s identity remains a mystery, but her death will not be forgotten.

New York State police have only described her as a woman.

Jessica Tisch mentioned in a press conference on Sunday, December 22, that the victim was «sitting at the end of the train car when she was set on fire.»

Authorities have concluded that the suspect and the victim did not know each other and did not interact before or during the incident.

This tribute seeks to give a voice to a tragedy that highlights the flaws in security and mental health issues within the transportation system.

«It’s essential to remember the victim as a person, not just a number in the statistics,» said one of the event organizers.

Despite the presence of officers at the station during the attack, they were patrolling a different platform.

They only intervened upon noticing smoke coming from the fire, according to ‘Telemundo’.

The New York subway system has an extensive surveillance network with cameras in stations and cars.

However, its size (472 stations and millions of daily passengers) makes it difficult to cover everything.

Governor Kathy Hochul increased security this year through random checks at certain stations by the National Guard.

However, violent incidents continue to raise concerns among commuters.

Although crime in the transit system has decreased by 6% this year, murders have seen an alarming increase.

As of November, nine homicides were reported, compared to five during the same period in 2023.

Mayor Eric Adams acknowledged that these high-profile cases have a profound impact on the perception of safety.

«When these kinds of incidents happen, they overshadow the accomplishments and affect the psyche of New Yorkers,» he said in a recent interview.

The case of the woman set on fire in the subway adds to a series of incidents demanding concrete actions to improve safety in public transportation.

Meanwhile, New Yorkers are finding comfort in unity and hope for change, according to ‘Telemundo‘.

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