Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, who is accused of lighting a woman on fire while she slept on the F train of the New York City subway, was previously deported in 2018.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Zapeta-Calil, a Guatemalan national was deported a week after entering the country illegally through Arizona in June 2018 but then re-entered the country at an unknown date and time, according to Newsweek.
The woman, who has not been identified, sat motionlessly aboard a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station in Brooklyn at about 7:30 a.m. when an unknown man approached her and used a lighter to set her clothing on fire, the New York Police Department said.
Police said there was no interaction before the attack, and they did not believe the two people knew each other.
Zapeta-Calil got off the car as police officers on patrol in the station rushed to the blaze.
"What they saw was a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames," New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference.
The officers used fire extinguishers to put out the fire, and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency responders, police said.
Zapeta-Calil was arrested while aboard the subway later on Sunday. Police said they were still investigating the victim's identity and the reason for the attack.
This was the second killing on the subway in one weekend.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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