NYPD Identifies Victim in Fatal Subway Arson “`

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New York City police identified the woman who died in a subway fire on December 22nd as 61-year-old Debrina Kawam of Toms River, New Jersey.

The NYPD confirmed Ms. Kawam’s residence.

Authorities used forensic evidence and video footage to identify the victim, who perished in a Brooklyn subway car. Sebastian Zapeta, 33, the suspect accused of setting her ablaze, was apprehended hours after police released his image.

Zapeta has been indicted on murder and arson charges and remains in custody. U.S. immigration officials state he is a Guatemalan national who entered the country illegally.

Mayor Eric Adams stated that Kawam had a brief stay in the city’s homeless shelter system and that authorities contacted her relatives. He did not specify the timing of her shelter stay.

“Our thoughts are with her family; this was a horrific event,” Adams commented at a separate press conference. “It affects New Yorkers deeply and underscores my point: people shouldn’t be living on our subway system; they deserve proper care. Regardless of where she lived, this shouldn’t have happened.”

Prosecutors allege Zapeta ignited Kawam while she slept on a stopped F train at Coney Island station. He allegedly fanned the flames with a shirt, leaving her engulfed before watching from a nearby bench, according to the prosecution.

Kawam was pronounced dead at the scene.

“This was a malicious act against a sleeping, vulnerable woman on our subway system,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez stated following the indictment announcement.

Zapeta hasn’t entered a plea. His indictment is scheduled to be unsealed on January 7th. He was absent from a December 27th hearing, and his lawyer declined to comment. Prosecutors say that when questioned, Zapeta claimed no memory of the event, citing alcohol consumption, but he identified himself in the photos and video evidence of the fire, according to prosecutors.

He was arrested hours after Kawam’s death following a tip from high school students who recognized him from the police-released suspect images.