NEW YORK -- The woman killed when she was set on fire in a Brooklyn subway car has been identified by police, after using fingerprint and dental information and DNA evidence. On Tuesday, NYPD officers identified her as 57-year-old Debrina Kawam, originally from Toms River, New Jersey.

Authorities have released the identity of the sleeping woman burned to death inside a New York City subway train by a man who allegedly lit her on fire and stayed to watch the aftermath, officials said Tuesday.

The woman who was set on fire on the NYC subway has been identified as Debrina Kawam, of Toms River, New Jersey, police say.

The man accused of setting a woman on fire onboard a Brooklyn subway train was charged Monday with first and second-degree murder.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, has been indicted on murder and arson charges after allegedly setting a woman on fire aboard a subway train in Brooklyn. The horrifying attack, described by NYPD officials as “depraved,” occurred at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station.

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.