Police in the U.S. have charged a man with murder and arson after he allegedly set a woman on fire inside a New York subway train. Authorities claim the perpetrator watched as the woman burned to death.

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has charged a 33-year-old Guatemalan citizen with murder and arson after he allegedly set a woman on fire and watched her burn to death on a New York City subway train.

According to the police, the suspect, identified as Sebastian Z., approached a woman who appeared to be asleep and used a lighter to set her clothes on fire. The man then sat on a bench outside the train car, watching as police officers and a transportation worker extinguished the flames. The incident occurred on a stationary train at the Coney Island subway station in Brooklyn on Sunday morning, and it was captured on surveillance footage.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the woman's clothing "became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds." She described the crime as "one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being." The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police circulated a photograph of the suspect, which led three high school students to recognize him and contact emergency services. Officers later located the suspect on another subway train, wearing the same clothes seen in the surveillance video.

Sebastian Z. had been previously deported to Guatemala in 2018 but re-entered the United States illegally in recent days. A spokesperson for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed his prior removal, though the exact timing of his re-entry remains unclear.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez condemned the crime, saying, "The depravity of this horrific crime is beyond comprehension, and my office is committed to bringing the perpetrator to justice." He emphasized that the crime would face the "most serious consequences."

It remains unclear whether Z. has retained an attorney or when he will be arraigned.