NEW YORK — The man accused of lighting a woman on fire on a New York City subway and fanning the flames as she burned to death made his first appearance in court this week, while authorities were yet to publicly identify the victim.

The victim appeared to be asleep when the assailant approached her on Sunday in Brooklyn and set her clothes on fire using a lighter, police say.View on euronews

The suspect, an illegal immigrant, is facing murder and arson charges. An illegal immigrant from Guatemala accused of setting a woman on fire in a subway train at New York City and watching her burn to death insists he has no memory of the horrifying attack.

New York City police say they have taken into custody a person of interest in the death of a woman who may have fallen asleep on a stationary subway train before being lit on fire by a man she didn’t know.

Police have defended their response, beginning when officers patrolling the station smelled and saw smoke coming from the F train.

A man accused of setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway train and then watching her die has been arraigned.

Prosecutors on Monday charged 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta-Calil with first- and second-degree murder and first-degree arson in connection with the death of a woman who died after being set on fire in a New York City subway train a day earlier.

Authorities are revealing more details surrounding the killing of a woman who was set on fire while sleeping on the New York City subway​.

The man accused of burning a woman to death inside a New York City subway train used a shirt to fan the flames, a prosecutor said Tuesday at his arraignment on murder charges.