Woman burned alive on New York train identified

A woman who was burned alive on a train, an act which horrified the world, has been identified by police.

A woman burned to death in a sickening attack on the New York subway has been identified by police.

Debrina Kawam, 57, from Toms River, New Jersey, died after a man set her on fire on a train on December 22 then stood by and watched her body burn.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala who was previously deported from the US, has been indicted for the killing.

The woman burned alive in a sickening attack on the New York subway has been identified by police. Picture: New York Post

He faces one count of murder in the first degree, three counts of murder in the second degree, and one count of arson.

In chilling footage from the murder scene, Zapeta is seen sitting beside the train, watching flames engulf Kawam.

Her body was so badly burned that police were unable to identify her for over a week.

Kawam’s reason for travelling from Toms River, a small township on the Jersey Shore, is still being investigated by the NYPD.

She was reportedly living rough in New York at the time of her death, according to the Coalition for the Homeless.

Kawam had been living in homeless shelters in the city since at least September 9 this year.

On November 30, she was given a bed at the Franklin Williams Women’s Shelter in the Bronx.

However, she left on December 2, just under three weeks before her horrific death.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, has been indicted for the killing. Picture: New York Police Department

Brazen killing

Kawam was sleeping in the subway with her walker and several bags containing her possessions when she was set on fire, according to the New York Post.

Zapeta allegedly told cops he didn’t remember setting the woman ablaze because he was so high at the time.

However, he did identify himself in photos and surveillance video showing him lighting the fire.

He was also identified by three high school students who recognised him in images shared by police.

The horrific crime, which was filmed by a passer-by, took place on an F train in Brooklyn.

In the stomach-churning footage, Zapeta is shown appearing to fan the flames with a shirt as they consume Kawam.

He later sits calmly on a bench on the platform and looks at Kawam’s charred remains.

Officers rushed to the scene and extinguished Kawam’s body but she died at the scene.

Zapeta was deported from the US in 2018 and later re-entered the country illegally, immigration authorities said.

Debrina's body was so badly burned that police were unable to identify her for over a week. Picture: New York Police Department

A former roommate at a Brooklyn shelter said that Zapeta drank heavily every day and was addicted to smoking K2, a synthetic drug similar to marijuana that is also known as spice.

At a news conference earlier this week, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch called the attack “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams called for the additional arson charges in addition to the state charges he currently faces.

“Lighting another human being on fire and watching them burn alive reflects a level of evil that cannot be tolerated,” Mayor Adams said in a statement.

Kawam had three prior arrests on her record, including being busted for alcohol on public transit on April 28 this year.

Before that, she was struck with a 2010 disorderly conduct charge in Maryland, and a bust for prostitution in New Jersey in 1994, according to law enforcement sources.

Zapeta is due back in court on January 7.

This story originally appeared on The U.S. Sun and has been republished with permission.