NEW YORK, NY. (THECOUNT) — The horrifying incident that took place in the heart of Brooklyn’s subway system has now been linked to 61-year-old Debrina Kawam from Toms River, New Jersey, who suffered an unimaginable fate when she was set ablaze on a subway train. Sebastian Zapeta, a 33-year-old Guatemalan national who had previously been deported from the U.S., was apprehended shortly after the attack.
The identification process was delayed due to the extent of her injuries, leaving officials unable to confirm her identity for days. The New York Police Department (NYPD) has not released the official cause of death but confirmed that Kawam was the victim. There were rumors she might have been homeless at the time of her death, a claim that the Coalition for the Homeless noted but which police could not verify.
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According to public records obtained by THECOUNT.COM, 57-year-old woman Debrina Ann Kawam formerly worked in marketing at Merck and Lily Pharmacy. She studied business and marketing at Montclair State University and graduated Passaic Valley Regional High School. It is unclear if this is the same woman killed in the fire.
Surveillance footage captured Zapeta deliberately igniting Kawam’s clothing as she sat, possibly asleep, on a stationary F train. The fire spread rapidly, leading to her death at the scene despite attempts by transit workers and police to extinguish the flames. Zapeta was charged with one count of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder, and one count of arson.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez condemned the act as “malicious,” emphasizing the vulnerability of the victim and the shock it sent through the community, especially during the holiday season. Zapeta faces life imprisonment without parole if convicted on the first-degree murder charge. The second-degree murder charges carry a sentence of 25 years to life.
Mayor Eric Adams has ordered a joint investigation by the NYPD and ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations to consider federal arson charges against Zapeta. This directive comes in response to Zapeta’s criminal history, including his previous deportation in 2018 after an illegal border crossing in Arizona. His re-entry into the U.S. remains under investigation, with no confirmed date or location yet established.
The case has reignited discussions on public safety in New York City’s transit system, scrutiny over immigration enforcement, and the broader implications of such a brutal act on a community’s sense of security. As New York grapples with this tragedy, the focus has turned towards ensuring justice for Debrina Kawam and addressing the underlying issues that allow such incidents to occur within the city’s infrastructure.
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