Why Haven't Police Identified the NYC Subway Fire Victim?

What's New

Several days after a woman was fatally set on fire on a New York City subway train, police have yet to publicly identify her, likely because of a lack of identification on her and the condition of her burned body.

Newsweek has reached out via email to the New York Police Department (NYPD), the New York Medical Examiner's Office and the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office for confirmation of the victim's identity.

Why It Matters

The woman, who may have been homeless, was set on fire on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue Station at about 7:30 a.m. this past Sunday. She was pronounced dead at the scene. It is likely she was burned beyond recognition.

David Griffen, executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless, told Newsweek on Thursday that while homeless victims are typically identified, "every year there are people who are buried unidentified, in what's commonly referred to as potter's field. That's just a whole other layer of tragedy on top of this."

What To Know

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the victim became "fully engulfed in a matter of seconds" after a man calmly walked over to the woman, who was reportedly sleeping, and used a lighter to ignite her clothes.

Videos of the incident spread quickly on social media. The victim was seen standing motionless against the subway door as bystanders watched, some filming her with their phones. Meanwhile, a man, later identified as the suspect, approached the woman with a garment and—instead of using it to smother the fire—fanned the flames with the cloth.

A day later, Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, was taken into custody in the hours after the woman died on Sunday morning.

Who Is Sebastian Zapeta-Calil?

Zapeta-Calil is a Guatemalan national who is in the U.S. unlawfully. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials told Newsweek Monday that Zapeta-Calil entered the U.S. illegally in June 2018 and was deported days later but reentered the country at an unknown time and location.

Zapeta-Calil was caught after images and videos of the crime were disseminated. Three high schoolers recognized him on the subway and called the police, who apprehended him. On Monday, he was charged with first-degree murder and arson in the attack, which officials said was random, and was arraigned on Tuesday.

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, who is accused of fatally setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway train, appears in court on Tuesday in New York. The victim has not been identified. AP Photo/Curtis Means via Pool

Who Is Amelia Carter?

The day after the incident, a viral post falsely identified the victim as Amelia Carter. The post also included an AI-generated image, which is not a verified photo of the victim.

One site posted an article about Amelia Carter, creating an entire backstory for the fictional woman. It claimed she had worked as an intern on Senator Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign and was a nurse at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

What People Are Saying

Griffen told Newsweek on Thursday, "We're all very worried about this, concerned about how long it's taking. I can only imagine it's because the state of the body was such that it's making it hard to identify her. People who are homeless and living unsheltered often are unable to keep things like important documents with them—things get lost, things get stolen. It's those little details that people often forget about that make life when you're homeless so difficult."

George Nashak, president and CEO of Care for the Homeless, told Newsweek Thursday: "Last week, Care For the Homeless sponsored a memorial for more than 360 New Yorkers who died while experiencing homelessness in the past year. A particularly tragic element of the commemoration was the fact that we could only honor some of these people as John or Jane Doe. We did not know their names." Homeless Persons' Memorial Day was December 18.

Nashak added: "We don't know if the woman who was tortured to death on the F train was unsheltered. But we know that the streets and subways are very dangerous places to live, particularly if you are a woman."

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said Monday on X: "The depravity of this horrific crime is beyond comprehension, and my office is committed to bringing the perpetrator to justice. This gruesome and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman will be met with the most serious consequences. Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe on our subways, and we will do everything in our power to ensure accountability in this case. I commend the NYPD for their swift work in apprehending the suspect."

James Winans, CEO of the Bowery Mission, told Newsweek: "People who are experiencing homelessness are all too often stereotyped as violent. However, in our experience at the Bowery Mission, people who are unhoused are much more often the victims of violent crime than the perpetrators. When a person is unsheltered, they are uniquely vulnerable to robbery and unprovoked verbal and physical attacks. Sometimes, a lack of identification cards or close family relationships can make it difficult to identify the victimized person in a timely way."

What Happens Next

Zapeta-Calil is being held without bail and has a court date scheduled for Friday.