Debrina Kawam, 57, recognized as lady burned to dying ‘by migrant’ on NYC subway as NYPD shares horrifying new element
The woman who was set on fire and burned to death on a New York City subway car has been identified as Debrina Kawam of New Jersey.
Shocking footage stunned the Big Apple as Kawam, 57, was seen engulfed in flames in horror scenes on the train near Coney Island on December 22.
She was allegedly set on fire by illegal immigrant Sebastian Zepeta, who cops say used a lighter before fanning the flames with his shirt.
Zepeta, 33, is facing murder and arson charges following the horror incident.
Officials used fingerprint data, dental records and DNA evidence to identify Kawam, and said she was believed to have been homeless. She was originally from Tom’s River, New Jersey.
Kawam was reportedly sleeping on the subway car around 7:30am at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn when she was set ablaze.
The footage of the moments after Kawam was set on fire went viral as it showed an NYPD officer walking past the fire while a man, allegedly Zepeta, watched on.
NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told a press conference that officers who responded were not aware the suspect was on the scene at the time.
The woman who was set on fire and burned to death on a New York City subway car (seen in footage) has been identified as Debrina Kawam, 57, of New Jersey
She was allegedly set on fire by illegal immigrant Sebastian Zepeta
Hours after the shocking death, the NYPD released images of the suspect, showing him watching his victim burning to death before he casually walks away from the scene.
Zapeta eventually boarded the F line again later in the day, and he was arrested on the subway after he was flagged by high schoolers whop recognized him from the police images.
NYPD officers alerted MTA, who stopped the train eight stops north from the sighting at Herald Square in Midtown Manhattan. Cops boarded the subway and detained Zapeta as he sat in a busy carriage, as caught in dramatic videos shared online.
Police Commissioner Tisch praised the police response to the heinous incident as ‘an example of great technology and even greater old fashioned police work’ during a press conference on Sunday night.
However, after footage of the horror incident went viral, many questioned the response of the NYPD as an officer appeared to do nothing while Kawam burned in the subway car.
Shocked social media users blasted the police response – describing the behavior of cops caught on camera as ‘cowardly’ and ‘shameful’ while calling for them to be named or fired.
Sebastian Zapeta-Calil is shown sitting on a subway bench watching as the woman he set fire to burns alive. In front of him is an NYPD officer who walked past him, unaware he was responsible for the sickening crime
Zepeta, 33, is facing murder and arson charges following the horror incident
‘Police officer walks by. Doesn’t take his jacket off to smother the flames. Not his problem. Guess he doesn’t get paid too much. Can we find out who he is? His behavior is shameful,’ one person wrote on X.
DailyMail.com has asked for comment on why cops appear to have strolled past the burning woman several times without helping.
Condemnation of the response from officials was led on Tuesday by New York Congressman Ritchie Torres, who slammed fellow Democrat New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
The same day Kawam was identified, Hochul shared a tweet boasting of ‘dedicating our efforts to putting more money in your pockets and building an Empire State where everyone has an opportunity to succeed.’
Torres said in response: ‘On the same day the murder victim of the subway fire, Debrina Kawam (61) was finally identified, Governor Hochul feels the need to take a victory lap.
”Mission accomplished’ is the ultimate form of gaslighting.’
Condemnation of the response from officials was led on Tuesday by New York Congressman Ritchie Torres, who slammed fellow Democrat New York Governor Kathy Hochul
The incident quickly became part of the national debate over the dramatic rise in crimes being committed by illegal immigrants in the United States.
ICE officials said Zepeta entered the US illegally from Guatemala in 2018 and was deported, but re-entered the country at some point after.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams came out after Zepeta’s arrest to call for federal prosecutors to charge him alongside state charges.
‘Lighting another human being on fire and watching them burn alive reflects a level of evil that cannot be tolerated,’ he said in a statement.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez countered that he wanted the case to stay under state jurisdiction.
‘Murder in the first degree carries the possibility of life without parole,’ he said, pointing out that was ‘more significant in state court than currently in federal court.’
‘We believe very strongly that this case belongs in the state court,’ he said. ‘We have a very strong working relationship with our federal partners and of course we will always do what is in the best interests’ of the case.
