Official announcements from New York City Transit Authority or local government

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil Pleads Not Guilty to Murder and Arson in Coney Island Subway Fire Involving Debrina Kawam

Jan 7, 2025, 04:21 PM

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, a 33-year-old Guatemalan migrant, pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and arson in a Brooklyn court on Tuesday. Zapeta-Calil is accused of setting Debrina Kawam, a 57-year-old homeless woman from New Jersey, on fire while she slept on a stationary F train at Brooklyn's Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station on December 22. According to prosecutors, Zapeta-Calil used a lighter to ignite Kawam's clothing and then fanned the flames with a shirt before watching her burn from a bench on the platform. Police believe there was no prior connection between Zapeta-Calil and Kawam. Zapeta-Calil, who had been previously deported from the U.S. in 2018 and re-entered illegally, confirmed to police that he was the individual seen in surveillance footage but claimed he was intoxicated and did not remember the incident. He faces multiple counts of murder and arson, with the first-degree murder charge carrying a potential sentence of life without parole. The case has reignited discussions about safety in New York City's subway system.