Man who allegedly set sleeping woman on fire in NYC Subway says he doesn’t remember the incident

A man who allegedly killed a woman after setting her on fire on a New York City subway told police he “doesn’t know what happened.” NBC News reports.

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, allegedly used a lighter to start the fatal fire on Sunday, December 22. As the victim, who has not been identified, was consumed by the fire, Zapeta-Calil allegedly began “fanning the flames with a shirt,” a prosecutor alleged during his court appearance in Brooklyn on Tuesday, December 24.

Surveillance footage showed the victim sleeping on a motionless F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue Station around 7:30 a.m. Zapeta-Calil, who was sitting across from her, then allegedly set fire to her and the blanket she was under. CNN reported, citing a complaint from the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.

The prosecutor added that Zapeta-Calil told police after the incident that “he drinks a lot of liquor” and “doesn’t know what happened.”

Zapeta-Calil and the victim were the only two in the car. He allegedly left the train and sat on a nearby bench and watched as the woman continued to burn, footage showed. Sources suggested she was unconscious the entire time, CNN reported.

A walker was discovered near the scene, suggesting the woman had trouble getting around on her own. She was wearing several layers of clothing, and officials believe that is what caused the fire to spread. The woman is over 18 and a law enforcement official informed New York Times that she appeared to be homeless.

Zapeta-Calil was arrested after three high school students recognized his face when surveillance footage and photos were released to the public. He was later found by a Herald Square train with a lighter in his pocket, NYPD Transit Chief Joseph Gulotta told CNN.

The New York City Office of the Medical Examiner ruled the woman’s death a homicide, noting that she died of “thermal injuries and smoke inhalation,” NBC News reports, citing court documents.

During the hearing, he was charged with first- and second-degree murder and arson, according to legal documents. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and was ordered held without bail.

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Zapeta-Calil, apparently wearing the same hazmat suit he wore when he was escorted out of a local police station, is have to go to court again Friday, December 27 at 9 a.m. local time. The NYPD previously told PEOPLE he is an “unlawfully present Guatemalan national” who had been deported in 2018.

PEOPLE reached out to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office and New York City’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.