Sebastian Zapeta, the Guatemalan man accused of lighting a sleeping person on fire and watching her burn alive on a Brooklyn subway train, pleaded not guilty to murder and arson charges Tuesday.
The 33-year-old man has been charged with one count of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder and arson.
Zapeta listened through an interpreter and did not speak during the 4-minute hearing. His lawyer ultimately said his client needed medical attention, but no further details were immediately available.
Zapeta entered the United States illegally in 2018, according to authorities. He was deported and returned to the country on an unknown date.
NYPD ARRESTS MIGRANT WHO ALLEGEDLY BURNED WOMAN ON SUBWAY AND WATCHED HER BURN TO DEATH
Sebastian Zapeta is arraigned in Brooklyn, New York on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. Zapeta faces murder and arson charges 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 traveled to New York and, on December 22, allegedly set the woman on fire as 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 was identified as Debrina Kawam, a 57-year-old woman from Toms River, New Jersey. She was burned so badly that it took more than a week to identify her remains.
Sebastian Zapeta is arraigned in Brooklyn, New York on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. Zapeta faces murder and arson charges 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 New York City police captain, said surveillance video of the attack was so distorted that he couldn’t finish watching it.
Kawam was sitting alone, presumably asleep, on an F train stopped at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn.
WOMAN BURNED TO DEATH IN HORRIFIC SUBWAY ATTACK IDENTIFIED
Sebastian Zapeta is arraigned in Brooklyn, New York on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. Zapeta faces murder and arson charges 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 pulled into 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 to be a lighter to ignite the victim’s clothing, which was fully engulfed within seconds.”
NEW YORK’S SANCTUARY CITY UNDER PRESSURE TO MAKE DRASTIC CHANGES AFTER ILLEGAL MIGRANT ALLEGEDLY BURNED WOMAN ALIVE
Sebastian Zapeta, accused of setting fire to a woman on a New York subway train, appears in court Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Curtis Means via pool)
Then the man got out of 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 worker grabbed a fire extinguisher. The suspect even appeared on the body camera video, Tisch said.
The suspect was arrested after three teenagers riding on another subway train recognized him from a wanted poster and called 911. He was taken into custody at the next stop.
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Police officers patrol the F train platform at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024, in New York. (PA)
Zapeta faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.
The NYPD released its year-end crime statistics for 2024 on Monday, touting an overall decrease in crime and an increase in arrests. However, metro homicides 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.
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