A man accused of setting a woman ablaze on a New York City subway train claimed he couldn’t recall the incident, despite acknowledging himself in video footage of the attack, according to a transcript released Tuesday by authorities.
Sebastian Zapeta, 33, entered a not guilty plea to murder and arson charges in a Brooklyn court Tuesday. When shown video evidence of the attack, Zapeta said to detectives, “Oh, damn, that’s me,” but insisted he didn’t remember the attack.
According to prosecutors, Zapeta allegedly set fire to 57-year-old Debrina Kawam on a stationary train in the early hours of Dec. 22. He is accused of fanning the flames with a shirt and watching the woman burn from a subway bench.
During questioning at a Brooklyn precinct, Zapeta appeared to react with “disgust” and “strangeness” to the video footage. He reportedly wiped his eyes and exclaimed in Spanish, “Oh, my goodness.”
“I am very sorry. I didn’t mean to,” Zapeta told detectives, according to the transcript. “I don’t know what happened, but I’m very sorry for that woman.”
The suspect claimed he had been drinking heavily throughout the night and had fallen asleep on the subway, but couldn’t remember anything thereafter.
According to the transcript, Zapeta revealed to police that he is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the United States illegally five years ago. Immigration authorities said that Zapeta had been deported in 2018. Prior to being arrested, Zapeta was living in a Brooklyn shelter and working as a roofer.
He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. During his brief arraignment Tuesday, Zapeta kept his head low, starting at the floor, as his attorney entered the not guilty plea. A Spanish translator was present to assist him.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said his office intends to seek the maximum punishment of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“It is difficult to fathom what could lead someone to commit the atrocious and horrific murder with which this defendant is charged,” Gonzalez said in a statement Tuesday.
Kawam was originally from Little Falls, New Jersey, according to information provided to The New York Times by her childhood friends. She attended Passaic Valley Regional High School, where she was described as a popular student, cheerleader, and pancake house worker.
Kawam’s life took a challenging turn at some point. Public records indicated that she accumulated debt, faced liens, and filed for bankruptcy. In her 2008 bankruptcy filing, she listed over $90,000 in debt, no income, and minimal assets including her clothes, a futon, a television, and a Dodge Neon worth $800.
According to the Department of Social Services, Kawam had briefly stayed at a homeless shelter in New York after recently moving to the city.
The incident has reignited discussions about safety in New York City’s subway system. Despite statistics showing a decrease in transit crime, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch acknowledged that riders “don’t feel safe,” during a Monday news conference.
Data released Monday by police show transit crime is reportedly down for the second straight year, dropping 5.4 percent last year compared to 2023, with major crimes seeing an overall drop of 3 percent citywide.
In response, Tisch announced plans to deploy more than 200 additional officers onto subway trains and increase police presence on platforms at the 50 highest-crime stations in the city. “We know that 78 percent of transit crime occurs on trains and on platforms, and that is quite obviously where our officers need to be,” Tisch stated.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.