Sanctuary city New York pressured to make drastic change after illegal migrant allegedly burns woman alive

Sources previously identified the person of interest to Fox News Digital as Sebastian Zapeta, 33, who has been charged with first- and second-degree murder, as well as first-degree arson.

"In other words, he went where he'd be most able to do anything and everything he wanted, without much regard for the law or fear of consequences," the board continued.   

Surveillance video of Sunday's attack showed the suspect approaching the woman, who was sitting motionless and may have been sleeping, while aboard a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station and then setting her on fire.

"As the train pulled into the station, the suspect calmly walked up to the victim," Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said during a press conference on Sunday evening, adding that the female victim was in a seated position. "The suspect used what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the victim's clothing, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds."

The suspect then stayed on the scene and sat on a bench just outside the train car, as officers and a transit worker extinguished the flames. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

After three high school-aged New Yorkers called 911, the suspect was arrested just hours after the attack while riding on the same subway line. He was found with a lighter in his pocket, according to Tisch. 

Adams is the first big city mayor to sit down with incoming border czar Tom Homan against the wishes of his own city leaders, saying he will work with the Trump administration to deport migrant criminals from his city. 

This month and prior to Sunday's attack, Adams said there has been a 22-week drop in migrant arrivals into New York City, allowing for the closure of many of the migrant shelters used for housing, though the city has seen more than 225,000 migrants arrive since 2022, a surge that coincided with a spike at the southern border. 

Fox News' Greg Wehner contributed to this report.