Man accused of setting woman on fire on Brooklyn subway train back in court
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CONEY ISLAND, Brooklyn (PIX11) – The man accused of setting a woman on fire on a subway train in Brooklyn is expected back in court on Tuesday.
Sebastian Zapeta, 33, is scheduled to be arraigned after he waived the right to his first court appearance last month. He was indicted by a grand jury on four counts of murder and arson.
Prosecutors argued Zapeta intentionally set 57-year-old Debrina Kawam, of New Jersey, on fire on an F train stopped at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station on Dec. 22. Kawam was believed to have been sleeping on the train at the time, according to authorities.
Zapeta, originally from Guatemala, entered the U.S. illegally in 2018 and was living in a shelter in East New York, the NYPD said. He told police he was drunk at the time of the crime, according to authorities.
Zapeta was also accused of fanning the flames by waving a shirt after the victim caught fire, police said.
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.