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By Marni Rose McFall
Reporter
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What's New
A post has gone viral on social media that falsely identifies a victim of a recent attack on the New York City subway.
On December 23, a post claimed the victim was a woman named Amelia Carter, and included an AI-generated image. The post, which is a hoax, had been viewed 2.4 million times on X at the time of publication.
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A spokesperson for the DCPI confirmed to Newsweek that identification of a the victim in the attack is still pending.
Why It Matters
Early on December 22, a woman was set on fire on the NYC subway. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and the police haven't yet released her identity to the public.
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A suspect has been identified in the case, a man named Sebastian Zapeta, who was taken into custody in the hours after the woman died on Sunday morning.
Zapeta is a Guatemalan citizen who was in the U.S. illegally. ICE officials confirmed to Newsweek on Monday that Zapeta entered the U.S. illegally in 2018 and was deported, but then reentered the country.
What to Know
A post shared on X falsely identifying the victim stated: "This is Amelia Carter. She was burned alive on the subway yesterday. This is Joe bidens America," alongside a blurry image of a young brunette woman.
The community note on X states: "This is a hoax. This photo is AI. No verified news sources as of 23/12/2024 have given a victim name or statement."
The false information has circulated beyond X, and was posted to Reddit and a number of other websites.
One site posted an article about Amelia Carter, creating an entire backstory for the fictional woman; claiming that she had worked as an intern on Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign, and that she was a nurse in Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
Sebastian Zapeta has been charged with first and second degree murder and arson after the New York City Police Department arrested him following the incident at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station.
The victim was approached as she was reportedly sleeping on an F train in Brooklyn early on Sunday morning. Surveillance footage from the train's cameras showed a man walking up to her, and then setting her clothes on fire.
Police have said that the woman was completely covered in flames within moments. The man watched from a bench on the platform at the station. Officers on a nearby patrol smelled smoke and went to investigate, finding the woman engulfed in flames.
What People Are Saying
Jessica Tisch, the New York City police commissioner, described the attack on the subway as: "One of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being."
Eric Gonzalez, the Brooklyn district attorney released a statement, saying: "We will do everything in our power to ensure accountability in this case."
What's Next
Zapeta is being held without bail. ICE has said that there are plans to issue a detainer in order to transfer Zapeta to federal custody following his charges.
At the time of reporting, no details about the real victim of the fire had been made public, but it is likely that this information will be released in time.
Update, 12/24/2024, 10:54 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with information from the DCPI.
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