NEW YORK –
The woman who died after being set on fire on a New York subway train earlier this month was a 57-year-old woman from New Jersey, New York City police announced Tuesday.
The woman, Debrina Kawam, was from Toms River, a township on the Jersey Shore, according to the NYPD. New York City Mayor Eric Adams added that Kawam had a “brief stint in our homeless shelter system,” although he did not say when.
It appears that Kawam recently moved to New York and had a very brief interaction with the city’s outreach services, according to the New York City Department of Homeless Services.
The man accused of setting it on fire on December 22, Sebastian Zapeta, 33, was arrested hours after police released images of a suspect in the shocking Sunday morning attack on a stopped train in Coney Island, Brooklyn. He has since been charged with murder and arson.
Identifying the victim proved to be a challenge and authorities said Friday they were still using forensics and video surveillance to track her down.
Adams said at an unrelated news conference Tuesday that he did not know more than Kawam’s name and New Jersey address, but said authorities had been in contact with his next of kin.
“Our hearts go out to the family, it’s a horrible incident to have to go through,” Adams said. “It has an impact on how New Yorkers feel. But it really reinforces what I’ve been saying: people shouldn’t be living in our subway system, they should be in a place of care. “No matter where I lived, that shouldn’t have happened.”
In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for the New York City Department of Social Services said the city’s homeless agency worked with partners to track down any information they could about the victim’s family.
“As we mourn this loss, we decided to redouble our outreach efforts to reach and support New Yorkers experiencing homelessness on the city’s streets and subways and ensure they consistently access shelter services,” the spokesperson said.
Authorities have said they do not believe Kawam and Zapeta knew each other. Federal immigration officials say Zapeta is from Guatemala and entered the United States illegally. The address police gave him matches that of a shelter that offers housing and support for substance abuse.
Prosecutors allege that both Kawam and Zapeta were on the F train stopped at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station when Zapeta approached a sleeping Kawam and set her clothes on fire. He then fanned the flames with a shirt, wrapping it in the fire, before sitting on a bench on the platform and watching it burn, prosecutors said.
Kawam was pronounced dead at the scene.
Zapeta was arrested that same day after police circulated images of a suspect and received a tip from a group of high school students.
Zapeta has not yet entered a plea in the case and remains jailed. He was not present at a court hearing Friday where his indictment was announced and his attorney declined to comment afterward.
Prosecutor Ari Rottenberg said at the hearing that Zapeta told police he drinks a lot of liquor and doesn’t know what happened. However, he was identified in photographs and surveillance videos showing the fire, Rottenberg said.
“This was a malicious act,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said after Friday’s hearing.
