A 33-year-old man has been charged in connection with the death of a woman who was set on fire on a New York City subway train over the weekend.
Police and federal officials have said that the man has been charged with murder and arson after allegedly lighting the woman on fire.
The man was arrested about six hours after police say he used a lighter to ignite the clothes of a woman who appeared to be asleep on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station in Brooklyn.
Yesterday, he was charged with murder and arson, police said.
The suspect entered the US without authorisation in 2018 and was deported to Guatemala a few days later. It was unclear when he unlawfully re-entered, the US Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
Police said there appeared to have been no prior interaction between the assailant and the victim, who has not been identified.
The man is in custody and it was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer. He was arrested on a subway train on Sunday afternoon and had a lighter in his pocket, police said. He was due to appear in court to face charges.
Subway workers and police officers who had been patrolling the station used fire extinguishers to extinguish the flames that engulfed the woman, who was declared dead at the scene.
"The depravity of this horrific crime is beyond comprehension, and my office is committed to bringing the perpetrator to justice," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. "This gruesome and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman will be met with the most serious consequences."
The Department of Homeland Security statement said it would pursue removal proceedings again whenever the suspect is released from New York custody, which could include a lengthy prison sentence if he is convicted.
