The police have arrested a man suspected of being involved in the death of a woman on a New York City subway train on Sunday morning.
According to police representatives, the woman, whose identity has not yet been established, fell asleep in a train car that was stopped at the Coney Island – Stillwell Avenue station. At some point, a man approached her and set her clothing on fire.
During a briefing, police stated that "there was no interaction between them prior to the incident." It is likely that they were not even acquainted with each other.
"Our officers saw a person inside the train car who was fully engulfed in flames," said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch at a press conference, adding that law enforcement "had no reason to consider the suspect" a person sitting on a bench at the station when they rushed to help.
Emergency medical responders who arrived at the scene pronounced the woman dead.
The police arrested the suspect several hours later thanks to a call to the hotline from people who recognized him from images released by the NYPD.
American media reports that the suspect is 33-year-old Guatemalan citizen Sebastián Zapeta, who arrived in the U.S. about a year ago.
The police are working to identify the victim and understand the motives behind the crime.