(L) New York Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch during a press conference. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images) / (R) Invalid immigrant from Guatemala, Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33. (Photo via: New York Police Department)
OAN Staff Brooke Mallory 1:27 PM – Tuesday, December 31, 2024
On Tuesday, police reported that the victim who was set on fire by an illegal immigrant aboard a Brooklyn F train was identified as 57-year-old Debrina Kawam from New Jersey.
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Initially, mainstream media stated she was 61 years old, but police have since corrected this detail.
The authorities have yet to release a photo of the victim.
At 7:30 a.m. on December 22nd, Kawam was asleep on the train at the Stillwell Avenue-Coney Island station when she was ignited. The cause of death was ruled as homicide due to thermal injuries and smoke inhalation.
Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, a Guatemalan illegal immigrant, faces first-degree murder charges and more for this shocking crime.
In horrifying video footage, the alleged attacker was seen calmly observing the burning victim from a bench while fueling the flames engulfing Kawam.
Kawam was identified as homeless by the Coalition for the Homeless. Her identity was confirmed through fingerprints processed in a national database, sources indicated.
Kawam had been living in New York City’s homeless shelters since at least September 9th. On November 30th, she received a bed at the Franklin Williams Women’s Shelter in the Bronx but left on December 2nd. Law enforcement reports indicate she had a history of at least three prior legal issues: a prostitution charge in New Jersey in 1994, a disorderly conduct charge in Maryland in 2010, and an alcohol-related transit incident on April 28th.
“She lived in New Jersey and had a short period in our shelter system,” Mayor Eric Adams (D-N.Y.) remarked on Tuesday. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family for this tragic incident.
“This is an unfortunate event that affects how New Yorkers feel,” the mayor added. “It underscores my point that people should not be living in our subway system; they should be in a place of care.
“Regardless of her situation, this should not have occurred.”
The Post also reported that a witness stated the victim was still alive when she was set ablaze, with a walker and other bags belonging to her nearby.
Previous reports indicated that the victim’s body was so severely burned that the medical examiner had to undergo a lengthy identification process.
Zapeta-Calil is currently held at Rikers Island without bail following charges of first and second-degree murder and arson. Federal immigration officials noted that he was deported less than a week after illegally entering the U.S. in 2018 but later managed to return to New York City, where he was living in shelters as of March 2023.
A friend at the Brooklyn shelter where he last stayed claimed that Zapeta-Calil struggled with K2 addiction, a synthetic marijuana, and had issues with alcohol.
Similarly, Jordan Neely, the crazed homeless man in NYC who died after being restrained by Marine veteran Daniel Penny during a threatening episode, was reported to be under the influence of K2 during the event, according to autopsy results. K2 is known for inducing aggression, violent behavior, seizures, increased heart rate, and suicidal tendencies.
The accused Guatemalan assailant told police that he “didn’t remember” the incident of lighting her on fire due to his extreme intoxication.
“He smoked K2, drank, and went into a rage,” shared shelter resident Raymond Robinson, who had previously slept near Zapeta-Calil.
“He would act erratically and talk to himself when high, but never harmed anyone but himself,” Robinson added. “That’s why this is so shocking because I shared a cot with him; he was never violent. I wouldn’t let my daughter near anyone else, but he seemed trustworthy.
“As long as he was not under the influence,” he concluded.
BREAKING: Police identify Debrina Kawam, 61, of Toms River, NJ as the woman who was lit on fire by illegal Sebastian Zapeta on the NYC subway.
