The woman who was set on fire and burned on a New York City subway has been identified as Debrina Kawam of New Jersey.
Shocking footage stunned the Big Apple as Kawam, 61, burst into flames during horror scenes on a train near Coney Island.
She was allegedly set on fire by illegal immigrant Sebastian Zepeta, who police say used a lighter before fanning the flames with his shirt.
Zepeta, 33, is charged with murder and arson following the horror incident.
Officials used fingerprint data, dental records and DNA evidence to identify Kawam and said she was believed to be homeless. She was originally from Tom’s River, New Jersey.
Kawam was reportedly sleeping on the subway at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn around 7:30 a.m. Sunday when she was set on fire.
Footage of the moments after Kawam was set on fire went viral, showing an NYPD officer walking past the fire as a man, reportedly Zepeta, looked on.
NYPD Police Chief Jessica Tisch told a news conference that responding officers were unaware the suspect was on the scene at the time.
The woman who was set on fire and burned on a New York City subway train (seen in footage) has been identified as Debrina Kawam 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.
Zapeta eventually got back on the F line later that day and was arrested on the subway after being flagged down by high school students who recognized him from the police footage.
NYPD officers alerted MTA, which stopped the train eight stops north of the sighting at Herald Square in Midtown Manhattan. Police boarded the subway and detained Zapeta as he sat in a crowded carriage, as captured in dramatic videos shared online.
Police Commissioner Tisch praised the police response to the horrific incident during a press conference on Sunday evening as “an example of great technology and even greater old-fashioned police work.”
However, after footage of the horror incident went viral, many questioned the response of the NYPD, who appeared to do nothing as the woman burned to death on the subway.
Shocked social media users have slammed the police response, describing the behavior of officers caught on camera as “cowardly” and “shameful” as they call for them to be appointed or fired.
Sebastian Zapeta-Calil sits on a bench in the subway and watches the woman he set on fire burn alive. Standing in front of him is an NYPD officer who walked past him, unaware that he was responsible for the sickening crime
Zepeta, 33, is charged with murder and arson following the horror incident
‘Policeman walks by. Doesn’t take off his coat to put out the flames. Not his problem. I don’t think he gets paid too much. Can we find out who he is? His behavior is shameful,” someone wrote on X.
DailyMail.com has asked for comment on why police appear to have walked past the burning woman several times without helping.
Condemnation of officials’ response was led Tuesday by New York Congressman Ritchie Torres, who criticized fellow Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
The same day Kawam was identified, Hochul shared a tweet boasting about “our efforts to put more money in your pockets and build an Empire State where everyone has the opportunity to succeed.”
Torres responded: “On the same day that subway fire murder victim 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 officials’ response was led Tuesday by New York Congressman Ritchie Torres, who criticized fellow Democrat New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
Train surveillance cameras captured the man setting the homeless woman on fire and then watching as she suffered in pain
The incident quickly became part of the national debate about the dramatic increase in crimes committed by illegal immigrants in the United States.
ICE officials said Zepeta illegally entered the U.S. from Guatemala in 2018 and was deported, but reentered the country at some point afterward.
New York Mayor Eric Adams came out after Zepeta’s arrest and called on federal prosecutors to charge him in addition to state charges.
“Setting another human being on fire and watching him 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 remain under state jurisdiction.
“First-degree murder carries the possibility of life in prison without parole,” he said, noting that this was “more important in state court than it currently is in federal court.”
“We strongly believe this case belongs in state court,” he said. “We have a very strong working relationship with our federal partners and obviously we will always do what is in the best interest” of this case.