What's New
A woman was set on fire while on the New York City Subway on December 22, leading some people to call for more bystanders to act like Daniel Penny.
Daniel Penny was acquitted of the May 2023 death of homeless man Jordan Neely on the New York City subway, who he put in a chokehold after Neely began reportedly threatening passengers.
The woman was sleeping on an F train at Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station at 7:30 a.m. when, per New York Police Department (NYPD) Detective Austin Glickman, the suspect allegedly lit her clothes on fire with a lighter, engulfing and killing her.
A woman who goes by "Spitfire" on X (formerly Twitter) said that the woman set alight "didn't have a Daniel Penny to save her."
And MAGA commentator Laura Loomer said: "Too bad a Daniel Penny wasn't there to stop it."
Why It Matters
The attack occurred amid ongoing efforts to improve subway safety in New York City.
Daniel Penny was recently acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges, after putting Jordan Neely, a homeless man on the subway, in a chokehold until he died in 2023.
According to bystanders, Neely was asking for money, screaming that he was hungry, and lunging at a woman and her child when Penny stepped in.
Defenders of Neely said that this acquittal was racist, and while Neely was clearly unwell, he did not deserve to die on the subway for lashing out and having a mental health crisis.
Now, some people are calling for more vigilante justice, saying that this recent killing on the F Train would not have happened if someone like Penny were on the train.
While people are calling for more bystander intervention, it is unclear whether there was anyone else on the train at the time of this reported murder.
When contacted for comment, the NYPD sent Newsweek a link to a press conference on the suspect. This did not address whether there was anyone else on the train at the time of the alleged homicide.
There were NYPD officers at Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station, however they were on the upper level of the station, and discovered what happened when they went to investigate the train after smelling smoke.
The suspect was apprehended after photos were disseminated of him by the NYPD, and he was recognised by three high-school-aged New Yorkers who called the police.
On the same day as this crime, New York Governor, Kathy Hochul, posted to her X account saying: "In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day.
"Since deploying the @NationalGuardNY to support @NYPDnews and @MTA safety efforts and adding cameras to all subway cars, crime is going down, and ridership is going up."
Following news of this attack, Hochul said: "Our brand-new security cameras helped law enforcement find the suspect and arrest him."
What To Know
People online have speculated that the person involved in the fire is a man called Sebastian Zapeta.
A spokesperson for the NYPD told Newsweek that they cannot confirm these claims, as there is no public information available at this time on the person of interest who was taken into custody.
Answering questions from reporters, an NYPD executive said that the citizenship status of the suspect is part of their investigation. He confirmed that it appears the suspect arrived in the U.S. from Guatemala in 2018.
What People Are Saying
NYPD Commissioner, Jessica Tisch said this crime was, "one of the most depraved crimes one person could commit against an innocent human being."
Governor Hochul said: "Make no mistake: any crime is one too many, even with subway crime going down. We are continuing to surge personnel and resources to make our subways safer."
What Happens Next
The suspect was taken into custody by the NYPD. The NYPD is working on identifying the victim.
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