The New York City Police Department (NYPD) say a 33-year-old Guatemalan citizen has been charged with murder and arson.

Sebastian Z. allegedly set a woman alight and watched her burn to death on a New York City subway train.

What do we know about the incident

Police claim the perpetrator had approached the woman, who appeared to be asleep, and ignited her clothes using a lighter. The man then sat on a bench outside the train car and watched as police officers and a transportation worker put out the flames.

The train was stationary at a subway station at Coney Island in Brooklyn and the incident on Sunday morning was captured on surveillance video.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the woman's clothing "became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds."

Tisch described the case as "one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being."

The woman, whose identity has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police circulated the image and said three high school students had called the emergency services after recognizing the person in the picture.

Officers found the suspect in another subway train wearing the same clothes as the ones seen on the security video.

Removed from US, but returned

A spokesman for the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Z. had been previously removed from the country to Guatemala in 2018. He entered the US without authorization some days before.

The US Department of Homeland Security said it was unclear when he had re-entered.

"The depravity of this horrific crime is beyond comprehension, and my office is committed to bringing the perpetrator to justice," said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.

"This gruesome and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman will be met with the most serious consequences."

The AP news agency said it was not clear if Z. had an attorney and that it was not known when he would be arraigned.

rc/dj (AP, Reuters, dpa)

Editor's note: DW follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and obliges us to refrain from revealing full names in such cases.