On December 22, a woman was burned to death on the New York City Subway. She was homeless and murdered by an illegal alien from Guatemala. The footage is horrifying as bystanders watched as this woman cooked, with the perpetrator using his jacket to fan the flames. It comes as Gov. Kathy Hochul tried to do a victory lap to tout increased safety on the subway system.
The perpetrator was arrested the next day, but the name of his victim has not been revealed until today. Her injuries were so heinous it took for authorities to identify the body. Her name was Debrina Kawam of Toms River, New Jersey. (via Fox News):
BREAKING: Suspect image released after a woman was BURNED to death, fully engulfed in flames, while sleeping on NYC Subway on F Train in Coney Island this morning l, after a person threw a lit match at her. She was found with liquor bottles around her. Investigation is ongoing.… pic.twitter.com/3y6LovxrCH
— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) December 22, 2024
Same day pic.twitter.com/yi4d4ypE8k
— John Hasson (@SonofHas) December 22, 2024
He has been identified by @TomHoman_ as Sebastian Zapeta, an illegal alien from Guatemala. https://t.co/L1qypQkobh
— Crime In NYC (@CrimeInNYC) December 22, 2024
The woman who was heinously burned alive in a New York City subway car last week has been identified as a 57-year-old woman from New Jersey, Fox News Digital has learned.
Police tell Fox News Digital the woman has been identified as Debrina Kawam of Toms River, a township and coastal town located on the Jersey Shore in Ocean County. Kawam was lit on fire and burned to death on a subway train in Brooklyn, New York, on Dec. 22.
Officials were unable to identify Kawam's body for days after the attack because she was so severely burned. The NYPD did not provide an official cause of death.
The homeless nonprofit Coalition for the Homeless previously stated that the victim may have been homeless at the time of her death. Police were unable to confirm if she was homeless.
The New York Post, citing police sources, reports that Kawam had been living in New York City shelters since at least Sept. 9 and had been given a bed at the Franklin Williams Women’s Shelter in the Bronx on Nov. 30 but left on Dec. 2.
On Tuesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he did not have any additional information on Kawam, other than that she had a brief stint in the city's homeless shelter system.
"Our hearts go out to her family. A horrific incident to have to live through," Adams told reporters at a daily press briefing.
Sebastian Zapeta, 33, has been charged with first-degree murder. NBC News had Kawam's age at 57, while ABC News reported she was 61. Regardless, she was brutally murdered, and let's hope justice will be done in a city that's lost the meaning of that word. And if you think the chaos on this transportation system is over, think again.
SAY HER NAME: Debrina Kawam.
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 31, 2024
She was burned alive by Sebastian Zapeta, 33, a previously deported immigrant from Guatemala
Biden and Kamala are responsible for her murder. https://t.co/Tn9Omogb5U pic.twitter.com/sDNvX6y1xW
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