Woman Torched on F Train Finally ID’d; Mystery Surrounds Penn Station Burn Victim
Three high school students on the F train at Herald Square alerted police to the man who was eventually arrested by police for allegedly setting a sleeping homeless woman on fire at a stop in Brooklyn. Mystery still surrounds a second burn victim pulled from Penn Station days later.
| 01 Jan 2025 | 10:02
The above surveillance photo of a person of interest in the subway torching incident that killed a sleeping 57-year-old woman at an F stop in Brooklyn played a major role in apprehending the suspect. He was spotted by three high school students on the F train in Herald Square wearing the same clothes. (
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The sleeping homeless woman who was set on fire by another homeless person on Dec. 22 was finally identified as 57-year old Debrina Kawam who hailed from Toms River, NJ.
Police had already arrested Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, from Guatemala, on Dec. 23 and charged him with murder in the horrific homicide that made headlines across the country.
Video that went viral showed that the alleged suspect ignited her clothes the victims clothes with a cigarette lighter, fanned the flames with his shirt and then calmly sat down on a bench on the platform at the Stillwell Ave./Coney Island stop on the F train in Brooklyn to watch her burn to death.
A video that went viral showed a stopped subway car at the Coney-Island-Stillwell Ave. station just before 7:30 a.m. Dec. 22 morning with her clothes on fire. Police released a photo and surveillance video from body-worn cameras of the suspect and that helped lead to his arrest.
Three high school students traveling on the F train at the 34th St. Herald Square Station in Manhattan spotted the suspect still wearing the same clothes as he was during the attack and alerted police.
Four days later, at around 8:10 p.m. on Dec. 27, MTA Police Officers responded to reports of a fire inside Penn Station and located a 67-year-old male with burn injuries to both of his legs and upper body. according to police. The victim was transported to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and is currently listed in critical condition. Police have still not released information on exactly how the individual was burned and whether it was self-inflicted or a copycat torching done by another individual. “There are no arrests at this time and investigation is ongoing,” and NYPD spokesperson said.
In the fatal Brooklyn attack, police said the person who was arrested and charged with murder had been deported back to Guatemala in 2018 but snuck back into the country.
His address was given as the Samaritan Daytop Village, a rehabilitation facility for patients with alcohol and drug problems.
“The depravity of this horrific crime is beyond comprehension, and my office is committed to bringing the perpetrator to justice,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement followig the suspect’s arrest. “This gruesome and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman will be met with the most serious consequences.”
Zapeta-Calil is being held without bail. Police at the time of his arrest said he identified himself in the surveillance photos and told police he had been drinking and did not recall the incident. His defense attorney is reportedly considering an insanity plea.