New York police identify the woman a man set on fire on the subway – Washington Examiner
The text appears to include a fragment of HTML content that is part of a webpage, specifically discussing an incident involving a woman who was set on fire by a man on a subway in New York. While the precise details of the incident are not included in the accessible text, the title indicates that the police have identified the victim. The surrounding content suggests there might potentially be further information available via a video or article on the washington Examiner website,but this content is not fully visible in the provided text.
the summary highlights a serious crime that has occurred in New York City, and the police’s identification of the victim as a notable element of the story.
New York police identify the woman a man set on fire on the subway
The New York City Police Department identified the sleeping woman a man set on fire while aboard the subway last week.
Debrina Kawam, 57, had recently moved to New York City from Toms River, a township on the Jersey Shore. She had a “brief stint” in the city’s homeless shelter system, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Authorities struggled with identifying the body, and up until last Friday, they were still using video surveillance and forensics to uncover her identity.
“Hearts go out to the family, a horrific incident to have to live through,” Adams said during a press conference. “It impacts on how New Yorkers feel. But it really reinforces what I’ve been saying: People should not be living on our subway system. They should be in a place of care. No matter where she lived, that should not have happened.”
On Dec. 22, Sebastian Zapeta, a 33-year-old illegal immigrant from Guatemala, lit a match and threw it on Kawam while the F Train was stopped at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station. Video surveillance shows Zapeta fanning the flames with a shirt, which caused the flames to engulf Kawam. He then stepped off the platform and watched her burn to death.
Authorities are still seeking to contact Kawam’s next of kin.
“As we mourn this loss, we resolve to double down on our outreach efforts to reach and support New Yorkers experiencing unsheltered homelessness on city streets and subways and ensure they consistently access shelter services,” a spokesperson with the New York City Department of Social Services said in an emailed statement to the Associated Press.
Authorities apprehended Zapeta later that day. He claimed he was drinking heavily and had no recollection of the events that unfolded. He was indicted on murder and arson charges.
Meanwhile, Adams said the death of Kawam “overshadowed” the great progress the city has made in improving safety aboard the subway.
“People are seeing and feeling what they’re reading,” Adams said. “So, our success is overshadowed.”
During the Tuesday press conference, Adams shared how the subway system only has six reported crimes a day.
“We are doing the job on bringing down the numbers, but as I say over and over and I said in 2022, New Yorkers must feel safe,” he told reporters from city hall.
However, the death of Kawam has raised the number of murders at the subway station to 10 this year, doubling the figure from 2023. This year also matched the 25-year high of murders set in 2022.
And just after Adams’s press conference, a passenger was pushed in front of a 1 Train in Manhattan.
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