Critics are decrying the so-called “Daniel Penny effect” when several passers-by and even police officers are seen standing by helplessly as an innocent woman burns to death in a subway car. in New York City.
This heinous crime was allegedly committed. By an illegal immigrant Who targeted the woman while she was sleeping. Sources told Fox News that even days after the horrific incident, the woman has not been identified because she was badly burned.
Investigators also believe she was homeless and are working to locate any possible family members.
Sources previously identified the person of interest at Fox News Digital as 33-year-old Sebastian Zappetta, who has been charged. First and second degree murderas well as first degree arson.
Surveillance video of Sunday’s attack showed the suspect approaching the woman, who was sitting motionless and possibly sleeping, as she boarded a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station. Set fire.
It has also been noted that the address Zapeta gave to police matches that of a NYC substance abuse support center.
A man who lived at the same shelter Zapeta allegedly lived in said The New York Post reported that Zapeta smoked K2, a synthetic marijuana “every day” containing many different chemicals and Could be drugs.
The man also claimed that Zapeta would often smoke, drink and then “lose it”.
Sebastian Zappetta, accused of setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway train, appears in court Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Curtis Means via Pool)
Zapita is a previously deported immigrant from Guatemala who was apprehended by the Border Patrol and subsequently deported by the Trump administration in June 2018. Illegally crossed in Sonoita, Arizona Mary Ferguson, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, previously told Fox News that Zappita later re-entered the U.S. illegally.
Guardian Angels founder and local activist Curtis Silva told Fox News Digital that the recent spate of New York-based subway violence is due to the “Daniel Penny effect.”
Silva described the chaotic scene, according to eyewitnesses, saying that no one was helping the woman, but people were filming the entire ordeal, but did not cooperate with law enforcement. had been
NYPD arrests immigrant who allegedly set woman on fire on subway train, watches her burn
Daniel Penney arrives at Manhattan Supreme Court, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. Penny, a Marine veteran, was charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the 2023 death of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway train. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
“And I think that’s because of the chilling effect the Daniel Penny situation had on this whole city. It wasn’t a racially divisive issue…but what I’ve found is that people Just don’t want to be involved,” Silva said.
“They don’t want to get in, as I call it, which means, God forbid, get dragged into court, get sued, and then have your life turned upside down.”
Daniel Penney, a Marine veteran, was found not guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the subway chokehold death of Jordan Neely.
Penny was arrested in May 2023, about two weeks after he was questioned and released after a deadly encounter with Neely, who was high on drugs and on the Manhattan F train. He was threatening to kill people when the 26-year-old architecture student caught him. A headlock from behind.
Neely also had an active arrest warrant and a lengthy criminal history at the time of his death. He had schizophrenia. and substance abuse problems.
Silva said it was similar to Nellie’s case, and sources said Zappita smoked up to $30 a day worth of K2, in addition to drinking a lot of cheap vodka, which he said. It is a “recipe for disaster” as the saying goes.
“Nobody got involved, no police on that train,” Silva explained.
Retired NYPD inspector and Fox News contributor Paul Morrow also weighed in on the incident, explaining that a source told him that an officer was looking for a fire extinguisher and that police responded as quickly as they could under the circumstances. has been
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“Look, you can never completely cover the subway, no matter what anyone says. And with the size of New York City’s subway system, the transit police do a great job,” Morrow said.
New York Governor Cathy Hoechl He drew criticism on social media Sunday after touting how much safer New York City’s subway system has become thanks to his efforts, claiming that crime on Big Apple trains has dropped since the deployment of the National Guard in March. There is a decrease.
The woman was burnt alive on the subway the same day. Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul’s office but did not hear back.
Alexis McAdams of Fox News, Michael Ruiz of Fox News Digital, and Lorraine Taylor contributed to this report.
Stephanie Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com.