Sebastian Zapeta, the migrant accused of fatally setting homeless woman Debrina Kawam on fire on a Coney Island subway train, pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn Supreme Court Tuesday to the horrific caught-on-video attack that shocked the city.

In December 2024, a woman was brutally set on fire in a New York City subway. She has now been identified as 57-year-old Toms River, New Jersey, resident Debrina Kawam. As the NYPD and Mayor Eric Adams spoke to the press, they explained more details about the terrifying crime.

New York officials have identified the 57-year-old woman who was burned alive inside a subway car in December to be Debrina Kawam, a New Jersey resident.

The New York Police Department ( NYPD) on Tuesday announced they identified the woman who died after being set on fire while inside a New York City subway train as Debrina Kawam. Kawam, 57, had an address in Toms River, New Jersey, according to the NYPD.

A man accused of setting a sleeping woman on fire and killing her on a New York subway is scheduled to be arraigned on murder and arson charges Tuesday morning.

The man accused of setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway told detectives, “Oh, damn, that’s me,” when he saw video of the attack but said he couldn’t remember anything, according to a transcript released Tuesday.